Outbreak
by Danielle Breon
Summary: When an experiment to create a cure for a new virus fails to do its job properly, it creates a new virus more deadly than the first.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** All Final Fantasy VIII related things are the property of Square Enix and all Resident Evil related things belong to Capcom.

* * *

It had been three years since the defeat of Sorceress Ultimecia. The world has prospired since then; everyone took advantage of the peaceful times, rebuilding what they could after the recent Sorceress War. Esthar remained isolated from the world. The wonderous city has recovered fully since Lunatic Pandora drifted over it, leaving many monsters in its wake. With a little help from SeeD mercenaries, the Estharian soldiers were able to rid the city of the monsters. The citizens of Esthar were, once again, able to walk about the city freely, without fear of getting attacked by soldiers and monsters. Two of those citizens cruised through the city on a business run, driving the standard blue Estharian vehicle. Cale, the driver, was driving his best friend, Arman, to Odine's laboratory. Both men were in their early thirties. Cale was a well-built man with short blonde hair, while Arman was a thinner man with brown, buzz cut hair. "Hey man, are sure you wanna go through with this? You know how Doctor Odine can get." Cale said.

"What other choice do I have?" Arman asked; he sat in a stooped over posture, which wasn't typical of him. "There's no cures for this damn disease and Odine's the best when it comes to science."

"That may be, but there's no guarantee that he can cure you." Cale stated. "Why don't you go see a real doctor?"

"I did. A week or so ago." Arman answered. "They're still looking into, trying to find a way to cure it."

"So, what makes you think that Odine can do something?"

"'Cause he's, like, a genius. He practically knows everything."

"I'm not so sure about that." Cale said, scratching his head in disbelief. "So, what is it that you're infected with anyway? How'd you get it?"

"They call it Chikungunya. It's some kind of new disease that's forming in bite bugs. I got bit by one on my last trip to Balamb."

"Man, that's rough. I take it you won't going back to Balamb anytime soon, right?" Cale asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Hell no!" Arman exclaimed, rubbing a fair-sized rash on his arm.

The two of them began laughing; Arman with a labored laugh. The rest of the ride was spent in silence; the only sound being the Estharian rock music playing on the radio. Then, they reached Odine's laboratory. Cale stopped his car in front of the facility and allowed Arman to climb out. "Hey, you want me to wait out here for ya?" Cale asked.

"No, you go on." Arman said. "This might take a long time."

"All right, man. I'll see you when I see you."

"Right." With that, Arman closed the car door and began walking toward the facility, still in his stooped over posture.

* * *

Laguna Loire, lifelong President of Esthar, still looked after the wonderous city. Residing in the presidential palace and looked after by aides, he felt like a VIP and a movie star all in one. Though he didn't want to be the only one being taken care of, so at one point he asked his aides to extend the same courtesy to Ellone, who had stayed close to him ever since the Lunatic Pandora incident.

Laguna rummaged through his bedroom closet, looking for some necessity items. A small item sack sat on his bed, indicating that he was going somewhere. "Let's see... hi potions, phoenix downs, remedies..." Laguna counted to himself.

Ellone stepped into the doorway shortly after that moment, looked at the suitcase, and then at Laguna. "What're you doing?" She asked. "I thought you were just leaving for a meeting with President Caraway."

A few months after the death of Vinzer Deling, there was a major dispute all over the Galbadian continent about who should govern the continent next. Each city had their own representive in mind that they wanted to be in charge. The cities argued back and forth for weeks, when the people of Deling City brought up an important point. They pointed out that a former Galbadian General may be just what the continent needed to run it. Everyone began to agree that General Jarrod Caraway should be the next president. General Caraway refused at first, ready for early retirement. However, after some careful persuasion, the Galbadians convinced him to become the newest President.

"I am. Just gotta prepare for it." Laguna said, looking back just long enough to speak.

"Fights never break out during a meeting." Ellone stated.

"You never know."

Ellone stifled a laugh, and then left Laguna to his business. Laguna gathered what he could into his arms, walked over to the sack, and began stuffing it with all the necessary items he thought he would need. He was in the middle of straightening his light blue dress shirt, when a sudden jolt of pain shot up through his right leg. "Arrgh!" Laguna grunted. "Great... this always happens before a meeting."

At that moment, Kiros Seagill stepped through the doorway, dressed in the regal Estharian robes. "Ready to go, yet, Laguna?" He asked.

"Just a sec." Laguna said, as he limped around the room. "Why do I feel like I'm missing something?"

"Let it go. You'll probably remember what you're missing later." Kiros said with a grin.

"Yeah, maybe." Laguna said, as he scratched his head. "All right, let's go."

Laguna grabbed the item sack and followed Kiros out of the room. The two of them walked through the corridors of the palace, meeting Ward Zabac at the midway point, then the three of them headed for the exit. Outside the palace, a car sat waiting for them. Kiros and Ward climbed into the backseat of the car, while Laguna stopped and turned around to see Ellone peaking out of one of the second floor windows. "Elle! I'll be back soon!" He called, waving 'good-bye' to her.

"See you soon, Uncle Laguna!" Ellone called back, waving as well.

With that, Laguna climbed into the front seat of the car. The car sped off, heading in the direction of Esthar's airstation. "All right! We'll meet up with Caraway in FH, then we're off to the mansion!" Laguna exclaimed.

A few months prior to the meeting with President Caraway, Laguna had asked many of his aides about wanting a mansion. A president's own private getaway is what Laguna wanted; to get away from responsibilities for a while. Many of his aides agreed to it, knowing that not only will it be the president's getaway, but also there own. Laguna had always been selfless, seeing to it that everyone was treated equally. The Estharian citizens supposed that that was the reason why Laguna was the most respected president of all time.

"Whoa! Wait a minute!" Laguna shouted.

The driver of the car hit the breaks hard, skidding the car to a stop. "What is it? What's wrong?" Kiros asked from behind the front passenger seat.

"Maybe we should bring Odine along. We might need his smarts." Laguna suggested.

Ward gestured around with his hands, which Kiros translated as, "You mean, 'we might need his _intelligence_'."

"Whatever!" Laguna said. "We're meeting to talk about setting up trade routes between Galbadia and Esthar. Who knows? We might need Odine to explain how to go about it."

"You just want him to give the speeches so you don't have to, right?" Kiros pressed.

"N-no. I'm just saying..." Laguna started, trying not to draw attention to his aching leg.

"All right. Let's go get him." Kiros sighed.

* * *

The laboratory was the same as it always was. Aides and assistants trekked through the hallways, either writing or reading something on their clipboards. The occasional Estharian stopped by and requested assistance with personal matters. Doctor Odine practically skated through the halls, making sure everyone was working. Just as Odine passed a group of three aides, an assistant approached him from the front. Odine remembered her as Shantalle, one of his most loyat assistants. She had light brown hair pulled back into a pontail, fairly pair skin, and a firm, thin body. She wore her own white lab coat with her name badge pinned on the upper left shoulder. "Doctor, there's someone here to see you." Shantalle said. "He's waiting in room one."

"Thank you." Odine appreciated her. "I am on ze way."

The assistant followed Odine, as he made his way toward room number one. They reached the room with no delay. Odine opened the door and walked in, leaving Shantalle to close the door behind her. "Doctor Odine." Arman greeted; he was seated on a chair next to Odine's desk, sitting stooped over.

"A pleasure..." Odine looked to the computer for the man's name. "Arman."

Odine took a seat at the desk and prepared to begin typing. "So, what iz ze problem today?" He asked.

"Well... this posture for one. As well as, this fever and this rash that's been bugging me." Arman explained his symptoms. "A couple friends told me that it was Chikungunya."

Odine typed it all into the computer. "Chikungunya? There iz currently no cure." Odine thought out loud. "Odine will think of something."

"That's why I'm here. You're the best." Arman flattered, but Odine wasn't affected by any flattery.

"We need ze blood samples." Odine began. "Zis will be quick."

Odine gestured to Shantalle, who in turn handed him the necessary equipment to take blood samples. Arman held his arm out, allowing Odine to do his work. Odine retrieved several samples of blood just to be sure that he had a good sample of the disease. When he finished, he grabbed the samples and took them off to observe them. Shantalle turned to Arman and said, "Please make yourself comfortable. This could be quite a while."

Arman said, "No problem. I got all day."

"If you need anything, just let us know." With that, Shantalle left the room, leaving Arman to make himself at home.

Odine wasn't too far from the room when Shantalle caught up to him. The two of them didn't get too far though when Laguna, Kiros, and Ward caught up to them. "Odine!" Laguna called. "Hold on. I gotta ask you something."

Odine kept walking, but at a slower pace. "What iz it? I'm very busy." He asked.

"Well, uh, you probably know that I'm meeting with President Caraway." Laguna began. "I, uh, might need you to work out how to set up some trade routes. Will you give us a hand in that department?"

"Odine can't. We have zis new disease to cure." Odine said.

"It's not life threatening, is it?" Laguna asked. "Can't you have someone else do it?"

"Doctor?" Shantalle spoke up. "You're doing research on that disease now, right? I can take care of that for you."

"There you go!" Laguna said.

Odine sighed. He knew he wasn't going to hear the end of it, unless he went along with Laguna. Reluctantly, he handed the blood samples to Shantalle. "Where are we going?" Odine asked Laguna.

"All right!" Laguna cheered for his victory. "We're having the meeting in my mansion. It's isolated, away from any towns or cities. It's completely safe."

Odine perked up slightly. He knew that mansion from back to front. He turned to his assistant and said, "Have ze patient moved to the other laboratory. There, you can begin ze research on Chikungunya."

"I'll get on it right away doctor." Shantalle said, and then began walking back the way they had come.

"Ready to go?" Laguna asked.

"Yes. Let us go." Odine said.

The four men hurried through the laboratory and out the exit. They piled into the waiting car outside and drove off toward the airstation.

* * *

Back inside laboratory room one, Arman roamed about the small room, looking at every little thing. He was really trying to find something to amuse himself; to keep busy. Finding nothing, he stepped out into the hallway to watch all the aides going about their business. It wasn't long after he stepped out that he spotted Odine's assistant making her way back to him. "I'm sorry, but we have to move you to another place." She said, as soon as she was within hearing range.

"Is something wrong?" Arman asked, confused.

"No, nothing's wrong." The assistant said. "There's just better technology in the other laboratory. We'll be able to get a better grasp on what we're dealing with there."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense."

Now it was Shantalle's turn to be confused. "Are you having second thoughts?" She asked.

"No, nothing like that." Arman answered. "I'm just... well... a little uneasy. I don't know what this disease will do to me."

"Try to relax. We'll do all we can to try to come up with a cure." Shantalle said with a smile, trying to make him feel comfortable.

Arman smiled back, a little more at ease. But he was still worried about his disease. "Where is this new lab? Is it far?" He asked.

"Oh, no. It's not that far. It's still on the Esthar continent, at least." Shantalle answered.

They walked onward toward the exit, engaging in small, friendly conversation along the way.


	2. Chapter 2

Esthar's airstation was the same as it always had been, aside from the construction work along the east side of the hangar. Technicians wandered about, keeping the spaceships in good working order. Tour guides led groups of tourists throughout the hangars, explaining the history of each spaceship as they went. Pilots and potential pilots either reclined in their crew quarters or ran through simulation tests, each one eagerly awaited for a new assignment. Though there were only three spaceships, the pilots hoped to work together and form their own crews.

Outside the airstation, one of the blue Estharian vehicles pulled up to the entrance and parked along the right side of the walkway. Shortly after the car parked, Laguna climbed out of the passenger side door, followed by Kiros, Ward, and Doctor Odine. They seemed to walk as one, as they entered the airstation. Laguna stopped the group just inside the entrance, and looked from ship to ship. "Alright!" He said. "Which ship is gonna be the lucky one today?"

The three spaceships that slept within the hangar were the original three that had once transported Sorceress Adel into outer space. Though they all looked the same, mostly red in color, each one had a different droid brain, making it so that they each thought and functioned differently. The infamous Ragnarok sat in the center of the hangar; it was the ship that always seemed to be a magnet for trouble. On the left side of the hangar, the Ragnarok's sister ship, the Ragnarokkr, was undergoing a few upgrades. The Ragnarokkr seemed to be the more intelligent of the two. Finally, the leader of the three ships, the Gotterdammerung, slept on the right side of the hangar. Having exceeded the other two ships in speed, power, and intelligence, the Gotterdammerung would have been the first choice for most pilots if war ever broke between Esthar and any other continent.

"Does it matter?" Kiros asked, snapping Laguna out of his reverie. "Just choose one."

"Ok! We'll take that one for a spin." Laguna said, pointing to the Gotterdammerung.

The party of four trekked across the hangar and up into the ship. Once inside, they were greeted by two pilots, who were stretched out on the metal floor, playing a private game of Triple Triad. The pilots jumped up upon seeing their president enter the ship. "Sir!" They both saluted.

"At ease, fellas." Laguna said. "We're just here to take this ship on a little trip."

The two pilots looked at each other, and then back at Laguna. "Sir, we'd be honored to transport you to where ever it is you're going." They said, simultaneously.

Laguna laughed. Some people just couldn't help themselves and keep addressing him as 'Sir'. "All right. We're stopping by Fisherman's Horizon first to pick up President Caraway, and then we're off to the mansion!" He explained to the pilots.

"Sir, yes sir!" With that, the pilots hurried up to the cockpit to prepare the ship for departure.

Meanwhile, Laguna led his small group into the passenger compartment, where all four of them chose a seat to recline into for the trip. Before long, they felt the ship come to life, as it rumbled beneath them. Laguna peered out of the viewport and watched as they passed through the hangar's launch bay; the ship picking up speed as it neared the exit. At the last second, the Gotterdammerung shot through the exit and then up into the sky.

* * *

An hour passed before Shantalle finally pulled her rented vehicle up to Odine's newest facility in the Esthar plains. Though 'newest' may not be the word for the place. A few months earlier, Odine had requested that the old Lunatic Pandora research facility be reconstructed. Aside from the entrance being unchanged, the facility obtained a new elevator, which took its occupants to the rooms deep beneath the earth's surface. "We've arrived." Shantalle said, informing her passenger.

Arman leaned forward to peer out of the front windshield. "Nice place." He said.

"Wait until you see the inside." Shantalle smiled.

Shantalle climbed out of the vehicle first, holding the door open for her passenger before sealing it closed. She led the way into the facility, greeting several other scientists who were outside gathering plant samples and the like. Once inside, Shantalle led Arman into the first elevator, taking it down to the only floor it could reach. They exited the first elevator and began making their way across the narrow catwalk; Arman walking near the edge, peering over the side. "That's quite a drop." He commented, whistling afterwards.

Shantalle laughed and said, "We'll be heading down there."

"We're not jumping, are we?" Arman joked.

"Of course not. We're taking the next elevator." Shantalle explained, as she reached out and pressed the elevator call switch.

The elevator arrived in a matter of seconds, allowing the party of two to climb onboard. Once inside the small room, Shantalle reached for the controls and pressed the button for the third floor. A few seconds passed before the elevator door slid closed, and the elevator began carrying its occupants to their intended destination. Several minutes passed before the elevator came to a stop. The door slid open, revealing a brightly lit hallway with several different rooms along both sides of the hall. Strong, plate glass windows were aligned along the whole length of the walls, allowing passerbys to peer inside and see what was within each room. As Shantalle took the lead, starting down the hall, Arman managed to glance into a few of the rooms out of curiosity. Three rooms contained rows of cages, each one housing various monsters from different regions around the world. The next few rooms were experimenting rooms; scientists within took blood, skin, poison, and any other samples they could from the monsters. "What's going on here?" Arman asked.

"We're trying to find out all we can about these monsters." Shantalle explained. "Trying to find out what makes them what they are."

"Isn't there already enough info, though?" Arman wondered aloud. "I mean, doesn't the military organizations study that stuff?"

"That's basic information." Shantalle informed. "We're delving into them further; finding out where they get their abilities from, the history of their origins, etcetera."

"Must be tough."

"Nothing like a challenge to make you feel alive, right?"

"If you say so." Arman said, wondering why scientists were so driven to learn more and more information.

They continued onward down the hall, and came closer to the next set of plate glass windows. Just as they were passing the first window, Shantalle caught a glance from her peripheral vision of a brown, thick liquid splattering against the window off to her left. Right away, she knew what it was and glanced back at Arman to see if he had noticed. Seeing that Arman was staring at the splattered substance in disgust, Shantalle decided to explain. "This room is home to the feared malboro. We've been studying this substance here to see if we can discover why it's so paralyzing." Shantalle said, as the brown substance began to slowly slide down the window.

"How'd you manage to capture a malboro?" Arman asked, feeling both surprised and amused.

"It's a long story." Shantalle said; she became more focused and worried about the two hazmat-suited scientists within the room with the Malboro.

The malboro spewed forth more of its sickening brown liquid, staining the top portion of one man's hazmat-suit. The man, hastily, tried to wipe the liquid off of his goggles so he could see what was going on. Meanwhile, the malboro lashed out with one of its tentacles, wrapping it around the second man inside the room. The second man flailed about, trying to loosen the malboro's grip around his legs. He stopped, suddenly, when he noticed he was staring straight down into a gaping maw that was the malboro's mouth. Too petrified to cry out, the man shut his eyes tight and prepared for what he thought was the end. The first man, finally, was able to clear his goggles of the gunk and noticed what was happening to his companion. He, quickly, ran to the door and slapped the open button. As soon as the door swished open, he signaled for the two Esthar soldiers outside to run to the other man's aid. The soldiers opened fire with their shotguns; one blast seering through the malboro's tentacle that held the dangling man. The man fell to the floor and one of the soldiers rushed to help him up, while the other soldier provided covering fire. With outstanding teamwork, all four men were able to escape the malboro's wrath, leaving it sealed within the room.

Shantalle let out a sigh of relief, glad that two of her collegues were once again safe. "Why don't you just tranq the damn thing?" She heard Arman ask.

"We tried, but tranquilizers don't seem to have an effect on it." Shantalle explained. "We'll come up with someway on how to deal with it. Meanwhile, we should be moving onward."

"Right..." Arman said, and then began following Shantalle once again.

Shantalle led the way out of the monster specimen area; rounding a few corners until finally reaching a windowless hallway. Instead, the hall was lined with gray, metal doors on either side of the hall; small computer panels adorned the walls to right of each door. Shantalle stepped over to the first door on her left and slapped the open button. The door swished open, revealing a room within that looked much like a normal hospital room; there was a single, well-made bed against the far wall, an office-like desk to the right of the door, a top notch computer sat on top of the desk, medical books aligned on a shelf above the desk, and entertainment books aligned on a shelf beside the bed. "You can relax in here while we wait for Dr. Odine's arrival." Shantalle said.

Arman stepped inside the room and looked around. The only thing missing from the room was a window with a beautiful view, but he knew that wasn't possible, being so far underground. "Can I get you anything in the meantime? Something to drink?" Shantalle offered.

Arman shrugged, trying to decide if he needed something. "Glass of water?" He asked.

"You got it." With that, Shantalle gave a polite smile and left the room, closing the door behind her.

* * *

A few short hours were spent exchanging information between two respected presidents. Doctor Odine sat, silently, watching the information exchange, offering his own incite on the matters every once in a while. "Our first order of business is to talk this over with Mayor Dobe. If we're planning on reconstructing those tracks, all trains will have to pass through Fisherman's Horizon." President Jarrod Caraway was saying; he sat wearing a gray pin stripe suit with a red tie.

Upon retrieving the Galbadian president in Fisherman's Horizon, Laguna had taken notice of the other man's armed guard consisting of five elite soldiers, each one wearing their unwrinkled, red uniforms. Though Laguna felt a little hurt by their distrust of him, he understood that it was just standard Galbadian protocol.

"You must schedule a time to meet with ze mayor." Odine said.

"We'll give him a call tomorrow morning, see when he's available." Laguna said. "It's getting late now."

Odine glanced over at the south side of the room, where a window had a view of the plains outside. The sun was setting, only a few rays of sunlight could be seen blending with the coming night. At that moment, Odine heard the sound of a small bell ringing just a few rooms away. "Meal time!" Laguna exclaimed.

"That's very generous of you, President Loire." Jarrod said. "Having a dinner prepared for us all."

"Hey, people gotta eat, right?" Laguna said.

At that moment, several of the mansion's chefs strode through the door on the northeast side of the room, each one carrying a platter of food on either hand. The chefs, gently, placed the platters down on the dinner table, close to the two presidents. They moved with such grace that it was no surprise that they didn't have any food splatters on their tidy, white chef uniforms. Once the food was safely upon the table, most of the chefs returned to the kitchen to gather more food, two chefs remained in the room to await any special orders.

While Laguna and Jarrod were engaged in some friendly conversation and helping themselves to some food, Odine used the opportunity to try to slip out of the room, unnoticed. Unfortunately, Laguna's wandering eyes spotted him trying to slip away. "Odine, where are you going?" He asked. "Help yourself to some food."

"I have work to do." Odine said, sparing a glance back at Laguna.

With nothing else said, Odine left the dining hall. He crossed the main hall of the mansion, heading toward the other side of the household, where he made his way through the winding hallways, until finally reaching his personal room. Odine stepped into his room, locked the door behind him, and then walked over to the nightstand beside his bed in the corner parallel with the door he just came through. He picked up the cellular phone that sat in front of his lamp and began dialing a number. After listening to a couple of rings, the person on the other end answered the phone. "I am on ze way." Odine told them.

"Yes sir. We've been waiting for you." Shantalle said from the other end.

Odine ended the call and set the phone back onto his nightstand. He, then, stepped over to his bookcase and examined each book. He grabbed one of the books and pulled it. At that moment, a click was heard, and then the bookcase began sliding off to Odine's right side, revealing a hidden ladder underneath. Odine kneeled down and began descending the ladder. When he got a quarter of the way down, the bookcase above him began sliding back over to its original postion, hiding the ladder once again.

* * *

Shantalle hung up the phone after speaking with Doctor Odine and began collecting a few sheets of paper. In her time waiting for Odine, she managed to gather a few bits of information that the doctor might be able to use in his search for a cure, carrying out her examinations inside her small office, which was located right beside Doctor Odine's lavish office. Despite being small in size, her office had everything she would need for examinations. Her desk sat in the center of the room; complete with a computer, phone, paperwork, and several pens all neatly arranged. Two bookshelves sat to either side of the only door in the room. An examination table rested in the back left hand corner of the room, a microscope and a few vials blood sat along the center of the table. To someone who didn't know the layout of the laboratory, the room would look like any ordinary office.

After double checking that she had everything she needed, Shantalle grabbed the blood samples, and then exited her office. Once in the hallway, she sealed her office door behind her and began making her way back to Arman's examination room. She passed a few male scientists and a couple females in the hall, all wearing the traditional white lab coats. She offered each one a friendly nod and a smile and continued on her way. At the end of the hall, Shantalle pressed the call button for the elevator there. Thirty seconds went by before the elevator arrived. Shantalle stepped inside and pressed the button for the lower examination floor. A few short minutes went by before the elevator came to a stop. Shantalle stepped out and began walking down the familiar hallway, which she and Arman ventured through earlier. At the first cross section she came to, she bumped into one of the scientists that was trying to study the malboro. Shantalle could get a better look at him now that he was out of his hazmat suit. He was about average height; five feet and six inches, Shantalle estimated. He kept his short brown hair neatly parted off to the left. His skin was fairly pale, due to working underground. A pair of thin, gray glasses rested upon his nose. He looked, at least, ten years younger than what he really was. "Hey, how're you doing?" Shantalle asked him.

"As good as can be." The scientist replied. "Though I'm probably going to have nightmares for months after being dangled over a malboro's gaping mouth."

Shantalle giggled, slightly, and then asked, "How's your friend doing?"

"Still suffering from deliriousness. Those suits provide some protection from a malboro's acidic mucus, but a small amount ate through his suit."

"Is he getting the proper treatmeant?"

"The medical team cleaned off all of the mucus and have been administering remedies. It's only a matter of time before he fully recovers."

"That's good." Shantalle said. "Well, I better get going, prepare for Doctor Odine's arrival. You take care."

"Likewise." With that, the two scientists went their separate ways.

After a few minutes of wandering the halls, Shantalle finally made it back to Arman's room. She pressed a button on the computer panel and the door slid open. Inside, she saw Arman curled up on the hospital-like bed, his back facing her. He looked a little paler from the last time she saw him. After walking over to the desk and setting down all of the items she carried, she stepped over to the bed to exam Arman. "Hey, how're you feeling?" She asked, as she grabbed a small flashlight from her lab coat pocket.

"Hot... sick..." Arman groaned.

Shantalle examed his pupils, and then returned the small flashlight to her pocket. She, then, stepped back over to the desk, opened the top drawer on her right, and retrieved a thermometer. She returned to the bedside to get Arman's attention. "I'm going to check your temperature, see how high of a fever you have." She informed.

Arman nodded, and then turned his body around to face her. Shantalle prepared the thermometer, and then gently slid it just inside Arman's left ear. She waited a few seconds, until the thermometer beeped, then she pulled it up and checked it. "One hundred two..." She thought aloud.

After, hastily, putting the thermometer away, Shantalle made her way toward the door. "I'm going for some ice. We have to try to get your temperature down." She said, and then left the room.

It only took her a little less than seven minutes to find two Esthar soldiers and ask them to carry a few metal crates of ice, back to the room. She signaled for the soldiers to set the crates down next to the bed, and then offered her gratitude. As soon as the soldiers left, Shantalle set to work. She reached underneath the bed, pulled out an additional blanket, and wrapped it around Arman. Once that was taken care of, she began placing the chunks of ice, each one as big as her hands, overtop the blanket. "These should give you some comfort, at least until Odine gets here." Shantalle said.

A long twenty minutes went by with Shantalle doing her best to keep Arman's temperature from reaching the life threatening stage. She was just placing some more blocks of ice on top of Arman, when she heard the door swish open. She turned to see Doctor Odine make his way into the room. "Doctor!" Shantalle greeted. "You're, finally, here."

"Yes, finally." Odine said. "It haz been a very long trip."

Odine walked over to the desk to examine the items that were placed there earlier. "Have you discovered anything about zis chikungunya?" He asked, not looking up from the paperwork.

"Not much. You can clearly see the virus within the blood samples. Additionally, the patient complained to me a few times that he was experiencing some joint pains all over his body." Shantalle explained.

Odine reached up with his right hand and began rubbing his chin in concentration. He looked back and forth between the paperwork and the patient, checking the paperwork's accuracy. Seeing that Shantalle's information was very accurate, he then looked down at the blood sample on the desk. "You took measures to ensure that the blood doesn't coagulate, correct?" He asked.

"Of course." Shantalle said. "I introduced antithrombin and heparan sulfate into the fluid. The blood won't be coagulating anytime soon."

"That iz good." Odine said. "I must begin ze tests."

Shantalle watched as Odine gathered up the paperwork and the blood sample, and then made his way to the door. "Doctor? Is there anything you'd like me to do?" She asked, feeling a little unappreciated.

"No, it vill be fine. Continue with vat you were doing." Odine said, and then exited the room.

Shantalle stood still for a few seconds, staring at the door. Then, she remembered that Arman's virus wasn't going to wait. She went back to work, keeping her patient's temperature down.

* * *

Almost two hours went by and Doctor Odine went through a few tests, searching for a cure to chikungunya. All of his tests came back negative. He reviewed each test again, checking to see if anything went wrong and to decide what to do different next time. He sat at an examination table, preparing another drop of blood for testing. The room he was using for testing was a fairly small room. The examination table rested off to the left of the doorway with a small bookcase to the right of it. There was a row of lockers along the wall just inside the door, which were mainly used by any scientists that used the exam room. Beside the door, there was an observation window, revealing another small room on the other side. A large control panel was installed just below the observation window in the other small room.

Odine managed to keep himself busy. He kept testing different concoctions on the blood, hoping for some breakthrough to a cure. He prepared a syringe, filled with his latest concoction, and held it down toward the petrie dish, which held a drop of blood, and then gazed down the tube of the microscope, as he released the concoction into the blood. He watched as the two fluids mixed together; the blue concoction, gently, blended in the bright red blood. Before long, the molecules within the blood that represented chikungunya began to dissipate. In a little more than a minute, the virus molecules were gone entirely.

Odine looked up from the microscope in amazement. He, quickly, prepared another petrie dish with another drop of blood and prepared another sample of the blue concoction. He ran the test again to make sure that he, truly, invented the cure. The same process occured on the new petrie dish, until all of the virus molecules were gone. "Zat iz fascinating." Odine said in awe.

Anxious to find out what kind of effect the substance would have on his patient, Odine filled a small vial with the blue concoction, and then got up from his seat and made his way toward the doorway. Behind him, the blood left behind on the petrie dishes, quickly, coagulated, regardless of any substance used to keep it from doing so.

Gliding through the halls at a good pace, Odine made his way to the elevator. He was on the testing floor, which was located just below the examination floor. The other lab coated scientists continued about their own businesses, as Odine passed them, allowing him to reach the elevator in no time at all. He took the elevator to the floor above, and then glided back to the exam room that housed his patient.

It only took a few minutes to reach the correct room. The door to the room swished open once again, allowing Odine to enter. Inside, he noticed Shantalle had begun wiping Arman's face with a cool washcloth. She looked back over her shoulder when she heard the door open. "Any luck, Doctor?" She asked, after a moment.

"Indeed. I may have ze cure." Odine informed.

"W-what?" Arman groaned.

"Doctor Odine's done it again." Shantalle said to Arman. "He's made a breakthrough in the chikungunya disease."

Arman heaved a sigh of relief. For once since his time being there, he felt like that he had a chance of being cured of the fever and the pains. He watched as Odine stepped over to the bed and held up a small vial of blue liquid. Odine signaled for Shantalle to hand him a sterilized syringe and the woman did so. Once he had the syringe, Odine opened the small vial and slid the needle portion into the liquid to fill the syringe. Meanwhile, Shantalle cleaned off a small portion of Arman's arm, using a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Once the syringe was half full, Odine pulled it out of the liquid, sealed the vial again, and slid it into his left pocket. He took Arman's arm and, slowly, moved the syringe toward the correct area. The needle poked through Arman's skin and Odine squeezed the syringe, releasing the blue liquid. Once all of the liquid was released, Odine pulled the syringe away and awaited the results.

For a moment, nothing happened. Before long, Arman looked up in surprise. "The pain... it's gone." He said.

Feeling fairly giddy, Shantalle reached up and grabbed the thermometer to see if his temperature was coming down, as well. However, as soon as she had the thermometer prepared, she noticed Arman begin to pull himself into a ball and hug himself, groaning in pain. "What's the matter? Are you ok?" Shantalle asked, feeling her giddiness wash away.

Arman didn't answer. He continued to groan from a pain he couldn't even describe. All of a sudden, he felt his body begin to spasm, slowly at first then it picked up pace. He tried to cry out for someone to help, but found that his mouth couldn't form any words. He could see Shantalle yelling at Odine, probably telling him to do something, but he couldn't be sure. The ringing in ears drowned out any other sound within the room. He, helplessly, felt his body spasm for what felt like an eternity, before it started to slow. Arman could feel himself slipping away as his body slowed. Somehow, he knew this was it for him. As the spasms came to a stop, so did his lifesigns. His eyelids slid closed and he laid upon the bed, unmoving.

Odine stared at his patient, taking a few mental notes as to what happened, ignoring Shantalle's protests. "Why did you just stand there?" Shantalle shouted, as she rushed to the bedside.

Shantalle, quickly, began searching for any lifesigns, but to no avail. She saw no signs of breathing and hadn't felt a pulse. "Doctor," She said, weakily. "He's dead."

"Vat? Impossible." Odine said, as he stepped back over to the bedside.

Shantalle stepped back to allow Odine enough room to diagnose the patient. She watched as Odine opened one of Arman's eyes to check whether or not they reacted to light. She saw Odine flinch from something that he seen. "What is...?" She tried to ask, but before she could finish, she saw Arman's left hand raise and, quickly, snatched at Odine's throat.

Shantalle covered her mouth in shock, as she watched Arman's body undergo a strange sort of metamorphosis. His skin seemed to ripple and expand, changing to a light gray color and growing in size. He used his new muscular strength to lift Odine up off of the floor. Odine's feet kicked through the air, as he tried to free himself from the deathgrip. Arman's right hand came up and pointed its pointer finger and middle finger toward Odine's eyes. All of a sudden, the fingers on Arman's right hand protruded forward; the tips thinning out into sharp points. Two of the fingers poked right through Odine's eye sockets and came out the other side of his head. Odine's body twitched, as it hung from the newly formed claw hand. With a flick of Arman's enlarged wrist, Odine's body slid off of the claw hand, the sickening sound of juicy meat sliding off of a knife filled the room. The body flew over toward Shantalle, crashing into her and knocking her to the floor. Shantalle sat, pinned to the floor, paralyzed, as she watched the monster that Arman had become stand up from the bed. He now stood, at least, seven feet high. His gray skin had hardened somewhat, giving it armor-like properties. His right hand had become a giant claw hand, each point grew to be two feet long.

Shantalle stared at the monster, as it walked over to the door, ducked its head, and left the room. It wasn't too long before she heard the shouts and screams coming from the other scientists in the area; their screams ended abruptly, as they were ripped apart by that two foot long clawhand.


	3. Chapter 3

She sat, unmoving, upon the cold floor, pinned underneath the remains of her former mentor. Closing her eyes to try to hold back the tears, she listened as her colleagues were slaughtered one by one in the hallway. _What has Odine created? _She wondered. _That blue substance... what is it? _Willing herself to press forward, Shantalle reached forward and rummaged through Odine's pockets; her hand trembled as she did so. Within seconds, she retrieved the vial of blue liquid and held it up to gaze into. It was a clear, blue liquid with a few air bubbles set into it. It appeared to be a smooth, gel-like substance, sliding slowly from side to side as the vial was tilted back and forth.

Shantalle let out a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding, and then slid the vial into her left jacket pocket. She, then, pushed the remains of Doctor Odine off of her, climbed back to her feet, and then cautiously tip-toed over to the doorway. She hesitated a moment at the door, and then slowly peeked around the corner. She had to choke back more tears by what she saw in the hallway. There were three bodies of fallen scientists, two males and one female, laying a few meters apart along the hallway. One of the males had been impaled through his midsection by the monster's claw, a line of bloody holes ran diagonally from his upper left chest area down to his lower abdomen area. The other male's head had been knocked, cleanily, off of his shoulders; a splatter of blood on the left wall showed where the head had bounced off before coming to a rest on the floor twelve feet from the body. The female of the group had been slashed across her midsection and she now laid on the floor in two gruesome heaps. Paperwork littered the floor around the bodies. There was no indication as to which way the monster went.

Stepping slowly out into the hallway, Shantalle listened for any sign of that tyrant. Just then, she caught a glimpse of some movement out of the corner of her left eye. Her heart skipped a beat, as she jumped back a step. She turned to face whatever it was that had moved, and then let out a sigh of relief when she saw who it was. It was the young-looking, brown haired man she spoke to earlier that evening. "Nevin," Shantalle breathed out, after glancing down at the man's name badge. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Nevin answered. "I heard screaming out here. What's going on?"

Nevin's gaze drifted around the hallway, taking in every bit of detail. "I'll explain later. We have to get to safety first." Shantalle said, breaking Nevin's concentration.

Nevin gave her a confused look, before deciding to follow her. "What's the plan?" He asked, assuming Shantalle had one.

"If we can get to the elevator, we can take it right up to the exit. We'll see if we can lock this area down. With any luck, we can contain that tyrant here." Shantalle explained.

"What's a tyrant?" Nevin asked.

"Like I said, I'll explain later."

Nevin nodded, and then asked, "What about everyone else?"

"Hopefully they're all still alive. We'll link up with them, if we can." Shantalle stopped short when she heard more screaming coming from around the second right turn down the hallway. "We have to hurry."

She took up point and led the way, stepping over the bodies of the three dead scientists. She had just stepped over the body of the female, when she heard Nevin behind her leave out a loud yelp of pain. Shantalle turned around to see what the problem was. "What...?" She said in astonishment.

The male scientist that had been impaled had launched himself at Nevin's left leg and was now sinking his teeth into the side of Nevin's thigh. Shantalle tried to move toward him to try to get the man to stop, but was tripped in mid-stride. She fell face forward; her hands, instinctively, flew up to protect her face from impact. She tried to pull herself up, but found that her right ankle was caught within an iron grip. She looked back to try to see what she was caught on and was terrified to see that the top half of the dead female scientist had her hands wrapped around her ankle. The dead female was, slowly, reeling herself toward fresh meat, using Shantalle's leg as a brace, snapping her mouth open and closed as she inched closer and closer. Shantalle couldn't help but notice that the female's eyes had changed to a milky white color.

Snapping herself out of her anxiety, Shantalle kept trying to pull her leg free, but to no avail. The undead female had her caught in a death grip. Desperate to get free, Shantalle used her free leg to begin kicking at the undead female's head; the female looked like she didn't even feel the kicks and kept trying to pull herself forward. After what felt like about fifty kicks, Shantalle heard a loud, sickening snap as she delivered one last kick. The undead female's head was knocked backward at an awkward angle, snapping her neck. The female's grip loosened, as she crumpled to the floor, unmoving. Shantalle freed her ankle, and then moved to assist Nevin.

Nevin had fallen backward onto his rear, giving the undead male ample opportunity to climb on top of him. Nevin's arms were braced against the undead male's chest, trying to keep the man from biting him again and trying to push him off at the same time. The undead male kept pushing forward with inhuman strength, snapping and biting like there was no tomorrow. Just then, Nevin caught sight of Shantalle making her way toward him. He yelped in pain once again, as the undead male pushed forward and sunk his teeth in to Nevin's right shoulder. Mentally cursing himself for losing his focus, Nevin pushed up on the undead male's chest, forcing the undead back up and taking off a chunk of meat from his shoulder at the same time. By that time, Shantalle had reached him and she tried to pull the undead male away. Working as one, Nevin and Shantalle were able to throw the undead male off to the side. Shantalle bent down to help Nevin to his feet, and then the two of them stepped back away from the undead male, who was trying to pulling himself to his feet. "What the hell? I thought he was dead!" Nevin exclaimed.

"So did I, but forget him. We have to get out of here." Shantalle said.

Shantalle helped Nevin limp down the hallway, keeping an eye on the undead behind them. Before long, they heard the sound of glass shattering, metal cages being knocked over, and gun shots. Shantalle guessed that the gun shots were coming from the two Esthar soldiers that patrolled the area, so she guided Nevin in that direction in hopes that the soldiers could provide some protection. However, she stopped short when the gunfire came to an abrupt halt and the sound of several roaring monsters reverberated through the hallway. She guessed that someone, most likely the tyrant, had broken the monster cages and released most of the monsters. Curiosity overcame her fear, as Shantalle led the way to the second right turn and she, cautiously, peeked around the corner. She was surprised to see that her recent theories had been correct. The monsters had been set loose. Near the center of a cross section, the remains of an Esthar soldier could be seen; three grendel monsters were feeding on the remains. Shantalle took notice that the plate glass window that kept the malboro contained had been shattered, though she couldn't tell if the malboro was still in the room or if it had escaped.

"We can't get out that way, can we?" Nevin asked, after seeing the surprised look on Shantalle's face.

Shantalle, slowly, shook her head and Nevin slumped to the floor, feeling defeated. Nevin glanced back down hallway from where they came from to see the first undead coming closer to their current position. "We're going to die here." Nevin sighed.

Shantalle felt her determination building, as she remembered the second elevator; one that only she and Doctor Odine knew about. "No," She said. "There is another way out. It's in the opposite direction from all of that carnage."

"What other way?" Nevin asked, keeping his eyes on the coming undead.

"There's a secret elevator inside of Odine's personal office." Shantalle explained. "It might be the best way out of here."

"Let's try for it." Nevin said. "It'd be better than waiting here to be eaten."

Shantalle nodded her head in agreement, and then bent down to help Nevin back to his feet. At that moment, the roars of the grendels could be heard from around the corner. Curious as to why the monsters had gotten so excited, Shantalle glanced around the corner once again. At first, she didn't see anything but the grendels growling at something around the corner further down. Then, all of sudden, she saw the tyrant again dashing out from around the corner, using its massive claw to hack away at the grendels. One grendel leapt toward the tyrant, swinging its tail blade in an upward motion. The tyrant caught the grendel in midstride, clinging to its throat, and then tossed it aside like a monster rag doll. The remaining two grendels charged forward together. The tyrant kicked its left leg forward at lightning fast speed, nailing one of the grendels square in the head. A loud crunch could be heard as the grendel's skull was shattered, before it dropped to the floor, lifeless. The third grendel managed to launch a flying tackle at the tyrant, slamming its head dead center into the tyrant's chest, however the tyrant looked as though it hadn't even felt the attack. Using its left fist, the tyrant delivered a backhand punch to the grendel's side, knocking it through the air until it collided with the first grendel. All three grendels now laid upon the floor; one dead and two unconscious.

All of a sudden, Shantalle felt Nevin thrusting away from her grip. She turned to see him kicking at the first undead that had attacked him. "We have to go now!" Nevin shouted, as he delivered another thrust kick at the undead.

At that moment, Shantalle heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming closer. She spared one last peek around the corner, only to see the tyrant making its way toward their current positon. "No argument there." She said. "Let's go."

She grabbed Nevin's left arm and hefted it over her shoulder to help him walk. They hurried back the way they had come, keeping their distance from the first undead as they passed him. They rounded one right corner and made it about halfway to the next cross section, when Shantalle heard the sound of wet meat slamming against a surface. _That tyrant must have just knocked that man aside_. She thought, then continued to lead Nevin toward the next cross section, where they made a left turn. Doctor Odine's office could be seen at the far end of the hallway. Shantalle was just leading Nevin passed the second observation room in the hallway, when she caught sight of some reddish orange hair out of the corner of her left eye. She risked glancing over to see who it was and saw a red-haired female scientist coming out of the room. "Where are you two going in such a hurry?" The woman asked, and then she caught sight of Nevin's injuries. "My god... Nevin, what happened to you?"

"There's no time to explain. We have to get out of here." Nevin practically shouted at her.

"You need to have those wounds treated, immediately." The woman said, as she took a few steps forward. "The medical bay is in the other direction."

"We can't go that way." Shantalle said. "We'll explain to you later. Let's go."

Shantalle and Nevin began backing up toward Odine's office, gesturing for the red haired woman to follow them. The woman refused to budge, confused by their behavior. In a matter of seconds, Shantalle caught sight of the tyrant rounding the corner and she picked up the pace. "No... get out of the way!" She exclaimed.

"Behind you!" Nevin shouted.

The woman stared at them as though they were crazy. Then, all of sudden, her eyes widened in shock as she felt three sharp objects pierce through her lower back and come out through her stomach. The tyrant's massive claws slid through the woman's body like a hot knife through butter. The tyrant picked the woman up off of the floor and whipped its right arm back, causing the woman's body to slide off. The body flew off to the right and slammed against the wall, before dropping to the floor in a bloody heap.

Shantalle covered her mouth in shocked, trying to keep from screaming. "Go. Go, go!" She heard Nevin shout.

Nevin, practically, led the rest of the way to Odine's office. He pulled Shantalle inside the office, and then slapped the panel beside the door. The door slid closed just before the tyrant reached it. "Where's that elevator?" Nevin shouted at Shantalle.

Shantalle shook herself out of her shock, looked at Nevin, and then around the office. "It's... it's back through here." She breathed out, as she jogged over to a large bookcase.

"The bookcase?" Nevin asked, quizzically.

By the time Shantalle reached the bookcase, she began hearing the tyrant outside, hammering away at the door. Quickly, she searched through a series of books, until she found the one that read: 'The History of the great Hyne'. She pulled on the book, until she heard a 'click', and then she stood back. The bookcase slid off to the left, revealing a small corridor with a single elevator. "Great. Let's go." Nevin said, not wasting any time.

They hurried into the elevator, one after another, just as the office door was smashed inward. Shantalle slapped the 'down' button several times, trying to get the elevator doors close. She watched as the tyrant came closer and closer. She just couldn't believe that she was just having a friendly conversation with Arman earlier that day and now he was trying to kill her. Finally, just as the tyrant came within a few yards of them, the elevator doors slid closed and the elevator began its descent. "Why are we going down? We're supposed to be going up!" Nevin insisted.

Shantalle let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and said, "This elevator only goes down, but don't worry. There is a way out."

Nevin nodded his head, and then leaned against the back of the elevator for support. Shantalle couldn't help but notice that he looked paler than usual. She shook the thought off and just believed that he was just in shock after being attacked and nearly killed. At that moment, the sound of a large 'thump' reverberated through the elevator as something landed on the roof. Shantalle's gaze, instantly, shot up, as she crouched down. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, all of sudden, a massive claw pierced down through the elevator's ceiling. Shantalle shrieked as she crouched down even lower to avoid being stabbed. The claw was retracted, and then shot down through another part of the ceiling. "You've got to be kidding me..." Nevin moaned, as he slid down the back wall.

The claw retracted and pierced through once more, before the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open. Shantalle grab ahold of Nevin and, practically, dragged him out of the elevator. She pulled him up to his feet and, quickly, helped him walk down a set of concrete stairs that rested about ten feet away from the elevator. Nevin looked up and glanced around to see where they were. It wasn't a very flashy place; a large warehouse-type room with concrete floors and walls. There were several metal crates stucked up along the far wall and a single railroad track along the left side. There was one locomotive resting on the tracks with a single box car attached to it. "We're taking that?" Nevin asked.

Shantalle nodded and continued leading him toward the train. They had just reached the bottom of the stairs when a loud 'crash' could be heard from behind them. Shantalle glanced back to confirm her fears. The tyrant crashed through the roof of the elevator and was, now, making its way out. "Go. Get on the train and get out of here." She said, releasing her grip on Nevin.

"What're you doing?" Nevin insisted.

"You need to get out of here and get those wounds treated." Shantalle explained, and then reached into her pocket to hold onto the vial within. "I'll try to keep this tyrant contained here. It mustn't be allowed to follow the train."

"Are you crazy? Let's just go!"

"I don't like this plan any more than you do, but if we both go, the tyrant will just follow the train. That'll place even more innocent people at risk."

Nevin didn't liked the idea of leaving her behind, but he knew she had a point. He nodded to her in understanding, and then began limping toward the train.

Shantalle watched him go, and then turned her gaze to the tyrant, removing her hand from her pocket as she did so. The tyrant was standing at the top of the stairs, glaring down at her. Shantalle took a few steps to her left, heading in the opposite direction of the train. "Over here!" She shouted, getting the tyrant's attention. "You want me? Come and get me!"

The tyrant looked over at her, and then launched itself into the air. It flew right over the stairs and landed right where Shantalle had been standing. Shantalle took off at a fast run, immediately, trying to put some distance between her and the tyrant. She ran toward the other end of the room; the tyrant, briskly, walked ten feet right behind her. She had just reached the area where the crates were stacked, when she risked a glance over at Nevin, who was now climbing into the train. Shantalle ducked into the space in between two large crates, trying to keep the tyrant searching for her. She waited a few seconds, and then, slowly, slipped out of the space and ducked behind the crates, listening for some sign of the tyrant. It was,eerily, quiet and that bothered her. Cautiously, she glanced around the crates to check the train again, making sure that the tyrant hadn't changed targets. Just as she peeked around the crates, she heard a loud metal 'crash' as the stack of crates beside her were knocked aside. She jumped in fright and, hurriedly, stumbled out from behind the crates, knowing the tyrant was right behind her. She ran back toward the stairs, taking another look over at the train.

_Come on, Nevin. Get that train going._ She thought. She ran up the stairs, heading for the elevator. Just as she reached the top of the stairs, she heard the train spring to life and let out a small sigh of relief. That sigh was cut short, however, when she heard a loud 'thump' behind her. Immediately after she heard the thump, she felt an unbearably sharp pain against her right rib cage, as though she were struck by an iron pole. The next thing she knew, she was sent flying back across the room, toward the piles of crates again. She felt the wind being knocked out of her when her back slammed against the side of one of the metal crates. She tumbled head over heels backward over the crate before, finally, coming to rest against the wall behind the crates. She cringed in pain for a moment, before checking herself for wounds. There wasn't any blood on her besides a few scrapes and scratches. Shantalle was partially relieved that she hadn't been stab by that claw and partially worried that she may have a few broken ribs. She looked up and between two crates, looking for the tyrant. She saw the train begin to disappear down the tracks. A few seconds passed before she spotted the tyrant leaping onto the train tracks and taking off at a run, heading after the train.

"N-No..." Shantalle groaned.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been more than an hour of dining and friendly conversation before dinner, finally, came to a close. President Laguna Loire was just finishing off his third plate of steak and mashed potatoes before he realized he had had enough, and then sat back in his chair and patted his stomach in satisfaction. "Would you like another helping, sir?" He heard one of the chefs ask from behind him.

"No, thanks. You guys really out done yourselves this time." Laguna stated.

President Jarrod Caraway sat at the other end of the table, across from Laguna. He had finished eating after only one plate and sat, impatiently, waiting for Laguna to finish. He glanced down at his watch for the umpteenth time, which showed that it was a quarter past eight o'clock. "That was quite a dinner." He said.

"Yeah, it was. Sorry it took so long, though." Laguna said. "It's just that these guys work really hard and I couldn't let all of the food go to waste, you know?"

"Understandable."

"So... you ready to call it a night?"

"I've been ready. If I could borrow your airship, I should be getting back to Galbadia City for the night."

As one of his first acts in presidential office, Jarrod had changed the name of Deling City to Galbadia City. He had wanted the Galbadians to look forward to the future without having the reminder of the fearsome presidential term of Vinzer Deling. Within months, the late President Deling became a figure of the past and Galbadia City had begun to blossom and expand.

"We have alot of extra rooms here, if you..." Laguna offered.

"That's awfully kind of you," Jarrod said. "But I really should be getting back."

"All right. I'll go tell the boys in the Gotterdammerung to get the ship ready."

"Thank you."

Laguna stretched out his muscles, and then got up from the table. He walked over to the door behind him and opened it, stepping out into the main hall. Glancing back for a split second, he noticed Jarrod getting up as well. He turned back toward the main door and walked toward it, footsteps echoing throughout the vast hall. Once at the door, he reached for the door knob. Just as he was about to turn it, he heard a very loud shriek of terror coming from beyond the door off to his left. Laguna leapt into action. "Hey, who's in there? Are you all right?" He inquired, as he dashed off toward the shriek.

He reached the door in a matter of seconds. Just as he was about to open it, there was a loud crash and the door smashed opened, flinging Laguna across the hall. Laguna flew six feet across the hall, landing onto his back and sliding a few more inches before coming to a stop. He grunted from the impact, before pushing the door off of him; a bloody corpse slid off from the other side of the door as he did so. Laguna flinched from the sight, recognizing the corpse as one of the maids that were in the mansion. "What... happened?" He asked quietly, and then pulled himself up onto his feet.

Kiros and Ward had run out of the dining room as soon as they heard the crash. The two of them stood behind Laguna, surveying the area. The answer to each of their questions came quickly as a giant, gray-skinned monster ducked its way through the newly formed doorway. The monster stood, at least, eight feet tall with only a few strands of brown hair on the back of its head. Shreds of clothing hung loosely all around its body. Though the most distinguishable feature was the monster's right hand. Instead of having fingers, the monster had five long claws, each one was at least two feet long. "What the heck is that?" Kiros asked, taking the words right out of Ward's mouth.

Before long, Jarrod joined them in the hall, accompanied by his armed escort. Upon seeing the remains of the maid and the apparent threat, the five Galbadian soldiers took up positions in front of Jarrod, readying their 6.5mm Arisaka rifles. The lead soldier lifted his rifle and aimed it at the tyrant. "You there! Stay right where you are and place your hands on your head." He ordered.

The tyrant, slowly, looked over at the group of soldiers, and then began walking toward them. "I don't think it's gonna listen to you." Laguna informed the soldiers.

"Freeze!" the lead soldier tried again.

The tyrant kept heading in their direction. When it was three quarters of the way to the small group, it dashed forward at lightning-fast speed. Using the momentum, it drove it's massive claw right through the lead soldier's abdomen. The lead soldier's eyes widened in shock, and then rolled back into his head. The tyrant pulled it's claw free, dropping the soldier to the floor. The remaining four soldiers stared onward in shock, until they noticed the tyrant eyeing them up, as well. Each one opened fire on the tyrant. The tyrant leapt into the air, dodging the onslaught.

Off to the side, Kiros leapt into action. He grabbed the front of his Estharian robes and tore them off, revealing his dark gold and gray battle outfit. He snatched his two katals from the sides of his utility belt and stood ready to do battle. Beside him, Ward followed his example, tossing off his own Estharian robes, revealing his usual white tank top, green cargo pants, and blue bandana. He, then, reached back and grabbed the large harpoon that had been sheathed in a holster on his back. Laguna looked back and forth at his friends, and then said, "All right! Time to kick some monster butt!"

Laguna reached down to for his machine gun, only to the grab nothing but air. Panicking, he searched all around his person, looking for his gun. _Oh, darn it... I knew I forgot something!_ He thought. He looked up and around to see where the tyrant had gone. It was standing just at the top of the stairs, glaring down at them.

From behind the Galbadian soldiers, Jarrod had unholstered his trusty .45 caliber pistol, ready to defend himself. He glanced over to see that Laguna was still unarmed, and then reached down to his left boot. He pulled a spare .32 caliber pistol from the side of his boot. "Laguna!" He shouted, getting the other man's attention before tossing the weapon.

Laguna caught the weapon with one hand, and then looked it over. "Not exactly my style, but whatever." He said, and then took up position beside Kiros and Ward.

The four Galbadian soldiers opened fire on the tyrant again. The tyrant leapt down the stairs, dodging the onslaught again. It sailed through the air, bringing it's claw back in mid-flight, and landed just in front of the soldiers, slicing it's claw vertically through one soldier as it landed. As the soldier dropped to the floor, lifeless, the tyrant whipped its claw back, backhanding another soldier, sending him flailing across the hall. The soldier slammed against the wall behind the stairs, and then collapsed onto the floor, barely conscious.

Jarrod and the two remaining soldiers began side-stepping away from the tyrant; the soldiers opened fire as they went. The bullets tore through the tyrant's chest and abdomen, however, the tyrant looked as though it wasn't even feeling the barrage. Jarrod and the soldiers ceased fire once they reached Laguna's side. All six men watched as the bullet holes on the tyrant's body began to rapidly close and heal themselves. "What the heck is this thing?" Laguna asked, astonished.

Within seconds, the tyrant began walking at a fast pace toward the small group. The two Galbadian soldiers began firing again. The tyrant switched from a walk to a dash, heading for one of the soldiers. Kiros leapt into action, jumping in front of the soldiers and causing them to cease fire, criss-crossing his katals in front of him in a defensive pose. The tyrant's claw connected with the katals, striking them with explosive force. Kiros was knocked backwards off of his feet, colliding with the soldiers behind him. All three men crumpled to the floor, trying to get off of one another.

The tyrant began moving in for the kill when a sudden sharp object pierced through its back, coming out through it's chest. Ward stood behind the tyrant, harpoon thrusted through the monster. The tyrant turned its head, eyeing up its current attacker. Ward seen the look on the tyrant's face, and then pulled his harpoon free. He took a few steps back, putting some distance between him and his opponent. The tyrant turned around fully, facing Ward face to face. Ward watched as the hole he created began to close and heal. The tyrant brought its claw up, and then slashed it downward. Ward stabbed his harpoon upward in an attempt to connect with the claw, thus blocking the attack. Claw connected with harpoon, knocking the weapon out of its owner's grip and slashing downward across Ward's chest and abdomen. Ward grunted and stumbled backwards from the pain. The tyrant stepped closer, raising its left fist and delivering a backhand punch across Ward's left side. Ward flew across the hall, landing face up upon the large set of stairs. He laid, motionless, cringing from the pain on both sides of his body.

"Ward!" Laguna shouted out, and then began firing the .32cal at the monster.

The tyrant turned toward its newest attacker, eyeing up its target. "Laguna! Watch it!" Jarrod shouted, as he aimed his .45cal.

Jarrod opened fire as well, firing all seven rounds in his pistol before changing the clip. He noticed the tyrant turning around to face him and readied his weapon for defense. He risked a quick glance over at the Galbadian soldiers, who were back on their feet and rushing to his side. He looked behind the tyrant to see that Laguna had ceased fire and was taking advantage of the situation, rushing over to help Ward. "W-W-What the hell?" He heard one of the soldiers cry out.

Jarrod glanced at the soldier, and then over to what he was looking at. He stood, stunned, when he saw that the lead soldier had gotten back up and was walking toward them, gazing at them with milky white eyes. Snapping out of his reverie, Jarrod turned back toward the tyrant. The tyrant had changed targets, turning back toward Ward and Laguna. It jumped up, sailed through the air, and landed on top of Ward; its feet straddling Ward's body. Laguna stumbled backwards, amazed by the tyrant's speed. "No!" Laguna shouted, firing his pistol at the monster.

After a few rounds were fired, the pistol clicked empty. The tyrant raised its claw, and then stabbed it downward, puncturing through Ward's chest. Ward let out a pained grunt, then fell limp. "No!" Laguna cried out.

He tried to fire the pistol in anger, and then remembered that it was empty. He saw the tyrant slide its claw out of Ward's body, and then turn its gaze on him. Laguna began taking steps backwards, putting some distance between him and the tyrant. At that moment, he heard Kiros let out a battle cry. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kiros dashing over to the tyrant. Kiros jumped into the air and brought his katals down in a cross slash, slicing almost halfway through the tyrant's right arm. He backflipped away, dodging the tyrant's incoming claw, and then dashed foward again, delivering a one-two slice before jumping away again.

Meanwhile, Jarrod watched as Kiros traded blows with the tyrant, glancing back and forth between the fight and the incoming lead soldier. Then, he suddenly came to a realization. "We can't win this. We have to retreat!" He shouted for everyone to hear him.

"Yes, sir!" One of the soldiers cried out, before making a mad dash toward the front entrance.

The tyrant caught sight of the soldier just as he was about to open the front entrance. It tried to slap Kiros out of the way, but Kiros jumped backwards and dodged the attack. The tyrant used the distraction to dash off toward the escaping soldier, using its momentum to drive its claw through the soldier's lower back. The claw slid clear through the soldier's body, coming out through his abdomen and out through the door. The tyrant withdrew its claw, dropping the soldier's limp body to the floor. It, then, turned around and began eyeing up each of the four remaining men, blocking the nearest exit out of the mansion.

"Run!" Jarrod shouted out.

None of the other men argued. Jarrod and the last Galbadian soldier turned around and dashed back into the dining room, while Laguna and Kiros turned toward the smashed doorway leading to the guest rooms. The tyrant stood looking back forth, trying to decide who its next target was going to be. Making its decision quickly, the tyrant began walking toward the dining room.

* * *

"Run! Get out of here!"

Jarrod was shouting, as he dashed alongside the dining table. There were two chefs standing within the dining room, one on either side of the table. Both of them were paralyzed with fear by the sight in the main hall. Jarrod snatched the front apron of one of the chefs as he ran passed him, and then shouted for the other chef to follow him. However, the petrified chef wouldn't even budge; he just stood and watched as the tyrant came closer and closer. In a matter of seconds, the tyrant was inches away from its target. Using its left fist, it delivered an uppercut directly underneath the chef's jaw, snapping the man's neck with a loud 'crunch'. The chef's body flew backwards, dropping to the floor beside the back wall.

Jarrod bit back a curse, as he forced himself to flee. He raced through the door directly ahead of him; the soldier and the remaining chef hot on his heels. Once the three of them were through the door and in the hallway beyond, Jarrod attempted to quickly slam the door shut. The door was within an inch of closing when it was suddenly smashed back open, flying free of its hinges and slamming into Jarrod's face, knocking him to the floor. He reached up with his right hand to rub his now throbbing head. Looking at his hand, he noticed that there was blood. A large gash was ripped open across his forehead. At that moment, there was deafening shriek off to his left. Dizzily and ignoring the ringing in his head, Jarrod looked over to his left to see the Galbadian soldier, the chef, and a blonde-haired female chef backing up away from the tyrant. He held onto the nearest wall, as he pulled himself to his feet. The sound of gunfire filled the quiet air, as the Galbadian soldier opened fired on the tyrant.

The small group backed up into the next room, which turned out to be the kitchen. Four other chefs were in the kitchen, each one wore a confused, frightened look on their faces, as they watched the tyrant duck through the door. Five of the chefs, quickly, scattered into the nearby pantry and sealed the door behind them. Meanwhile, the Galbadian soldier and the blonde female chef headed for the far side of the kitchen. The female chef glanced around her, until her eyes finally settled on a metal trapdoor beside the corner counter. She ran over to it and began pulling up on it. "Help me with this!" She shouted to the soldier.

The Galbadian soldier stood and watched as the tyrant walked over to the pantry door. It stared at the door for a few seconds, and then thrust its claw right through the center of the door. Several screams and one gurgled scream could be heard coming from the other side of the door. The tyrant retracted its claw and prepared to thrust it through the door again; fresh red blood could be seen dripping from the tips. The soldier snapped his attention back to the task at hand, rushing over to help the female chef with the trapdoor.

Just as the tyrant was about to thrust its claw through the door again, Jarrod leapt into action; he seemed to come from out of no where. With a medium sized cooking pot in his hand, Jarrod rushed forward and began to pound the tyrant with as much might as he could muster. The tyrant stopped in mid-thrust and whipped its body around; its right arm flew up and backhanded Jarrod across his right shoulder. Jarrod was knocked across the room, flailing over the group of stoves in the center of the room before bouncing off of the the corner of the last stove and landing upon the floor a few feet away from the soldier and the female chef. "Sir!" The soldier cried, just he pried open the trapdoor.

The soldier left the chef to open the trapdoor and rushed over to help his president to his feet. Dazed and disoriented, Jarrod held onto the soldier's shoulders as he stumbled to his feet. "Come on! It's coming!" The two men heard the chef cry out, before she climbed down through the trapdoor.

The Galbadian soldier, practically, pulled Jarrod across the room toward the trapdoor, listening to the heavy footsteps that sounded so close behind them. "Let's go, sir. Down you go." The soldier said, forcing Jarrod down the shaft.

Cool air blew upward from the shaft, as Jarrod, quickly, felt along the walls, until he felt the cold metal of a ladder. He slid into the shaft and began climbing downward, assuming that the soldier would be right behind him. He hadn't gotten too far down when he heard a sudden pained scream coming from above. He looked up to see the Galbadian soldier standing wide-eyed; a massive claw stabbed vertically through his chest and abdomen. Warm, fresh blood dripped downward, splattering across Jarrod's face. Jarrod reacted instantly, reaching up as fast as he could and grabbing the trapdoor. He pulled the door down, slamming it shut with a loud, metallic 'clunk'.


	5. Chapter 5

The sound footsteps filled the hallway, as Laguna and Kiros rushed in the opposite direction of the tyrant. They rounded a corner and continued toward the end of the hallway, where they came to a stop. The atmosphere of the hallway sounded, eerily, quiet. Not a sound was heard, except for Laguna's own heavy breathing. The two men listened for a few minutes, trying to find any sign that the tyrant might be approaching. "I don't think it's coming this way." Kiros said, heaving a sigh of relief.

"Darn it! It must be going after Caraway!" Laguna stated, taking a few steps back toward the direction they had come.

"What are you doing?" Kiros asked, noticing Laguna's movement. "You know you can't fight it."

"We have to do something! He's our ally!"

Kiros crossed his arms and thought for a short moment. "Well, we might be able to get out of here through the main door now." He said, unfolding his arms.

"And then, we can tell the boys in the Gotterdamerung to go for help." Laguna finished the plan. "Let's go!"

Laguna began dashing back down the hallway; Kiros a few seconds behind him. They returned to the main hall, as quickly as they could. Once there, Laguna made an abrupt stop at the smashed door, when he heard the sudden sound of gunfire coming from a few rooms away. His adrenaline began pumping, causing his hands to shake. "Laguna?" He heard Kiros say from behind him.

"Huh?" Laguna asked.

"Look."

Laguna followed the direction in which Kiros was pointing. His eyes widened and jaw dropped by what he saw. One of the Galbadian soldiers that had been impaled by the tyrant was crouched down beside the soldier in front of the main door. He had his back to the two men and seemed to be doing something with the dead soldier. Juicy chewing sounds could be heard coming from his direction. "How can he still be alive?" Laguna whispered, trying not to attract attention.

"I don't think he is alive," Kiros whispered. "But he's not dead, either."

Laguna's gaze drifted down a little ways, until his eyes locked onto the 6.5mm Arisaka rifle that one of the soldiers had dropped. It was resting just behind the undead Galbadian soldier. "Kiros, cover me." Laguna whispered. "I'm gonna try to get that rifle."

Laguna led the way, tiptoeing over toward the undead soldier with Kiros tiptoeing two feet behind him. He made it over to the rifle, never taking his eyes off of the undead soldier. As he got closer and closer, he could feel his own heart begin to quicken and hands begin to shake. All of a sudden, he felt a jolt of pain work up through his right leg. _Argh! Not now... _Laguna thought, as he reached down to clutch his leg. He forced himself forward, kneeling down and reaching for the rifle. His hand was just hovering a few centimeters above the rifle, when several screams erupted from a few rooms away. Laguna jumped in fright; his hand, quickly, tightened around the rifle. He tried to stand upright again, but stopped short when he saw the undead soldier, slowly, turning his head around. He stared Laguna down with milky white eyes. "Watch out!" Kiros shouted, jumping forward with his katals held forward.

Kiros drove his katals into the undead soldier's chest, driving him back a little ways. Meanwhile, Laguna jumped up and turned around in order to put some distance between himself and the undead. However, when he turned around, he felt as though he had walked right into a wall; a wall that wore a white tank top and green cargo pants. Laguna's gaze drifted upward, only to find the seven foot tall form of Ward Zabac staring down at him with those same milky white eyes. Ward lunged forward with his mouth wide open, causing Laguna to stumble off to his right, dodging the attack.

Kiros heard the commotion and ceased his current onslaught. He pulled his katals free, and then turned around to check on Laguna. He saw Laguna climb to his feet and begin backing up toward the smashed doorway; an undead Ward closing in on him. Kiros began to move forward to assist Laguna, when he felt a cold hand grab the back of his right leg. All of a sudden, he felt an excruciating, pinch-like pain on the outer side of his thigh. He looked down and saw the undead soldier he attacked sinking its teeth into his leg. Kiros grunted, and then raised his right katal. He stabbed the katal downward, driving it into the top of the undead soldier's head. There was a loud 'crunch' as the katal punched through the skull, driving itself through the undead's brain. Kiros watched, as the undead soldier dropped to the floor, unmoving. _So... their heads are the weak spot? _Kiros thought.

Ignoring the pain in his thigh, Kiros moved toward the hallway in which Laguna had entered. "Ward stop! I don't wanna shoot you!" He heard Laguna shout.

Kiros stood in the hallway, motionless. He wanted to assist Laguna in any way that he could, however he couldn't bring himself to draw his weapons on his former friend. At that moment, he heard Laguna fire a burst shot and watched as the bullets tore through Ward's chest. Ward stumbled back a step, and then lunged forward at Laguna.

Laguna stumbled off to his left, entering a smashed open doorway that he hadn't noticed earlier. "Laguna! Aim for his head!" He heard Kiros shout.

"Oh, sure. You couldn't make this any easier!" Laguna complained.

Laguna, slowly, raised the rifle, taking aim and backing up at the same time. Meanwhile,Ward resumed his advance toward his current target. Taking a deep breath and readying the rifle, Laguna took one last step backwards, only to lose his footing and fall through a hole in the floor. Laguna cried out in surprise and it wasn't long before he grunted from impact, landing on his rear end on a cold concrete floor. He sat for a moment, cringing from the pain surging up through his tail bone. Then he looked up, only to see Ward begin to force his way through the hole. Reacting instantly, Laguna rolled off to his right side, just as Ward performed a bellyflop down through the hole and landed right where Laguna had been. "Laguna! Are you all right?" Kiros shouted from above.

Laguna grunted, and then responded, "Yeah, I'll live."

Kiros observed the depth of the hole, and then jumped through. It was a short plummet before he landed on top of Ward's back, knocking his fallen comrade back down to the floor. He, quickly, climbed to his feet and moved away from Ward. It was then that he was able to get a better look at where they were. It looked liked a well-kept underground train station. There was a set a stairs that led down to a concrete platform, where a single train was stationed. "What is this?" Kiros asked to no one in particular. "Laguna, who's room was that... that we came through?"

Laguna finished climbing to his feet, thinking about an answer to Kiros's question. "Um... ah... oh, yeah. That was Odine's room." He answered.

"I should've guessed." Kiros said. "So, where's Odine?"

Laguna glanced back at Ward, only to see his former friend, slowly, getting back up to his feet. "Watch it!" He warned.

The two men rushed down the stairs, putting some distance between themselves and Ward. Once they reached the bottom and stood about in the center of the concrete platform, Kiros began to assess the situation. He glanced from the tunnel to the train and, finally, up at the hole they had fell through. The hole seemed to have been smashed open from underneath, which left Kiros with one conclusion. "That monster may have come from here... or from further down the tunnel." He said.

"Oh, darn it!" Laguna said, snapping his fingers. "I thought this would be some kind of escape tunnel."

"Who knows? It still may be." Kiros said. "I say if we take this train down the tunnel, we'll find out where that monster came from."

"What about Caraway? We can't just leave him here."

Kiros crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "We'll find out where this train goes and decide whether or not it's safe. Then, I'll drive the train back for Caraway." He said.

"Why don't we just wait here for him?" Laguna asked.

At the moment, the sound of a heavy body could be heard rolling down the set of stairs. Looking back, Kiros saw that Ward made his way down the stairs and was beginning to stand back up. "Well, that's out of the question." Kiros said. "We can't stay here now."

Laguna looked back at Ward and said, "Well... at least, Ward's still willing to follow us."

A few seconds passed before a sudden 'hissing' sound was heard coming from further down the tunnel. "What... was that?" Laguna asked; his pace beginning to quicken.

"Get in the train. We'll take cover in there." Kiros said, quickly, jumping into action.

Kiros tapped Laguna's arm to get his attention, and then the two men dashed over to the entrance of the train. Once there, Laguna slapped the 'open' button in one smooth motion. The train door slid off to the left with a 'swish'. As soon as the door was open, another undead person lunged out from the train, tackling Laguna to the floor. Laguna's hands flew up, instinctively, trying to push the undead off of him. Kiros leapt into action almost immediately, drawing up one of his katals. He lunged forward, driving his katal into the left side of the undead's skull and piercing through its brain. The undead fell limp, leaving Laguna to push the body off of himself. Laguna heaved out a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding, and then got a better look at his attacker. The undead person had been a male with short brown hair. He wore a lab coat over a bloody dress shirt and pants. There was a name badge pinned to his lab coat, which read: 'Nevin'.

"Thanks, Kiros." Laguna heaved out. "I owe you one."

The 'hissing' sound seemed to have come closer to their current position. "Let's go. Get inside." Kiros said, as he entered the train.

Laguna risked a glance back at Ward, and then hopped into the train, as well. Once inside, he quickly slapped the indoor door controls, sealing the train shut. He left out a brief sigh of relief, and then turned around to get a better look at the inside of the train. It wasn't a very extravagant train with its bare metal walls. The train seemed like nothing more than just another cargo train. "Well, let's have a look at the train's controls." Laguna heard Kiros say.

Laguna followed Kiros into the train's conductor compartment, where he watched him examine the train's controls. His gaze drifted from Kiros to the other parts of the compartment, until finally stopping at the window off to his left. He stepped over and glanced out of the window, where he noticed Ward staggering toward the train. "Sorry about this, old buddy." He whispered to his former friend.

All of a sudden, the source of the 'hissing' sound came into view. Two snake-like monsters slithered over to Ward's staggering form, where one of them wrap its body around its latest prey. "Hey, wait a minute." Laguna said. "What are those... those... uh, what are they?"

Kiros stopped examining the controls to glance out of the window. "Anacondaurs." He informed.

"Yeah, that's it." Laguna said. "What're anacondaurs doing here? They're not native to the Esthar region. Where the heck does this tunnel go?"

"One way to find out."

Laguna thought for a moment, and then said, "Whatever. Let's go. We're coming back for Caraway, though."

"Hopefully, he'll still be alive." Kiros said, and then reached for the train's controls.

The train hummed to life, and then slowly picked up speed, heading down the tunnel and away from the carnage inside the mansion.

* * *

They stood at the bottom of the ladder, listening to the persistant banging on the metal trapdoor above. Jarrod braced himself against one of the side walls, as he examined the new area. They had made their way down to one corner of a dimly lit concrete corridor. The corridor was empty, aside from the pipes and wires running along the ceiling. "What is this place?" Jarrod asked.

"It's only a utility tunnel." The chef explained. "It's used to house the pipes and wires used for plumbing, electricity, and whatever else."

The chef stepped forward and looked in either direction of the corridor, trying to get her barings. "I think if we go this way, it'll lead us to the nearest exit." She informed.

Jarrod nodded, and then pushed himself away from the wall, only to stagger and, nearly, collaspe from the pain he was feeling. The chef saw him staggering and rushed over to assist him. She draped his left arm over her shoulders, and then began to, steadily, lead him down the corridor.

They walked in silence, listening to their own footsteps and the constant banging behind them. A few minutes of silence passed by, before Jarrod spoke up. "What's your name, miss?" He asked the chef, trying to ease some of the tension.

"Marissa." The chef replied.

"Marissa... that's a nice name." Jarrod said, trying to ignore the tyrant's persistance. "Any family?"  
"My parents and my fiance. They're staying in an apartment in Esthar. What about you? You have a family, right?"

"My daughter." Jarrod said. "We haven't been a good terms, lately. I was hoping to change that, but..."

They stopped suddenly, and Marissa looked over to see Jarrod lower his head. _Are you giving up? _She thought. "Don't talk like that." She said. "We're going to get out of here."

Jarrod lifted his head and looked over at the young woman. He could, easily, see that there was a fierce determination behind those emerald eyes of hers. Slowly, he nodded his head, and then they continued making their way down the corridor. "You'll see. We'll get out of here. I'm going to see my parents again. You're going to make up with your daughter. Everything will be just fine." Marissa said, projecting her determination into words.

Another few minutes went by, before they came upon another ladder leading up to a different metal trapdoor. Jarrod released his grip on Marissa, allowing her to begin climbing the ladder. At that moment, he noticed that the tyrant's banging had, suddenly, stopped, leaving the two survivors in an eerie silence. Then, a sudden and horrible thought struck him. Jarrod, quickly, looked up the ladder and shouted, "Marissa! Don't!"

Marissa jumped in fright from the sudden harshness of Jarrod's voice; her hand rested on one side of the trapdoor. She glanced down to see what the trouble was. "What is it?" She asked.

"That monster is no longer at the other trapdoor." Jarrod explained. "What if it's waiting up there now?"

Marissa felt her pulse begin to quicken at the thought. "We can't stay down here." She said, after a moment. "I'll open this door slowly... check for any sign of the monster."

She took a deep breath, and then eased the trapdoor open, pushing it up far enough so that she could look around. She hadn't seen or heard anything, besides a silent room full of potted plants. After gathering up more of her courage, she eased the door open a little more, getting a better look at the room. It was the greenhouse, where all of the home-grown vegetables were stored. Sensing that the room was safe, Marissa pushed the trapdoor open all of the way, and then climbed out. She glanced down and watched Jarrod climb the ladder, making sure that he wasn't having difficulties.

He, slowly, climbed the ladder, cringing with each movement. Once at the top of ladder, he saw Marissa reach down with her right hand, offering assistance. He shook his head, refusing the offer. "Sorry." He said. "You wouldn't be able to hold me, if I fell. I'd pull you down, too."

Marissa left out a quiet laugh, and then moved out of the way. She stood and watched Jarrod pull himself out, and then, gently, closed the trapdoor. "Ok, is there a door that leads outside near here?" Jarrod asked.

"Um... no." Marissa answered. "Just a door that leads back into the mansion."

Jarrod stood, confused. "What greenhouse doesn't have a door that leads outside?" He argued.  
"Don't look at me. I didn't design this place."

Jarrod glanced around the greenhouse, trying to figure out a way to get out, besides heading back into the mansion where the tyrant was, surely, waiting. "I'll make an exit." He said, finally.

He limped over to one of the tables that were holding a few potted plants, where he grabbed one of the empty pots. Then, he limped to a fairly wide open section of the greenhouse, where he had a clear shot at one of the greenhouse windows. He pulled his arm back and prepared to launch the pot right through the window. "Stop! Don't do that!" Marissa cried out, suddenly.

Jarrod stopped and lowered his arm. "Why not? Because you're vegetables might spoil?" He asked, sarcastically.

"No... well, yeah, but a loud crash might attract that monster's attention." Marissa informed.

"We'll make a mad dash toward that airship, then."

"Doesn't it take time to prep a ship for launch? Time that the monster could use to catch up to us."

Jarrod grumbled to himself, and then set the pot down on the nearest table. Feeling as though he had only one choice left, he slumped down to the cool floor and reached into his right jacket pocket. He pulled his hand back out, holding his cellular phone. He held the phone up, making sure that it was getting a good signal, and then began dialling a number. "Who're you calling?" Marissa asked, feeling hopeful.

"Backup." Jarrod said, listening for the ringing on the other end to come to an end. "Hello? Hello! This is President Jarrod Caraway..."


	6. Chapter 6

It was very early in the morning and the sun was just beginning to come up over the ocean to the east of the industrial town of Timber. Bird calls and a few monster roars could be heard coming from the nearby Roshfall forest. And next to Roshfall forest was where the ever notorious Balamb Garden was resting. The halls of Balamb Garden were the same as they ever were; with the machinary kept in working order by daily trips to the technicians of Fisherman's Horizon. Students and SeeD members roamed about the halls, either waiting for class to start or performing their daily patrols. One group of students were just passing the library when Balamb Garden's Garden Master Cid Kramer made his way out of the library. It had only been a few months after former Master Norg had vanished when Cid had stepped up and became the new Garden Master.

Cid made his way away from the library, where he had been going over a few rules with a couple of students. He headed toward the elevator, ready to return to his office and begin his daily paperwork for the morning. Greeting several students and SeeDs as they passed by, he eventually made it into the elevator, where he pressed the button for the third floor. The elevator whizzed upward and came to a stop in no time at all. Cid stepped out of the elevator, where he was greeted by the headmistress of Balamb Garden; his wife, Edea. By the time the crisis with Ultimecia was over, Edea had decided to remain by Cid's side for the remainder of their days. So, Cid had suggested that she become the headmistress and help him run the Garden.

Edea walked, gracefully, over to her husband and said, "Good morning, dear."

She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on his lips, before pulling away so that he could reply. "Good morning, Edea." Cid greeted. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"As well as I could." Edea replied. "Though, I have stayed awake far longer than usual last night. I have, however, managed to complete the pairings between students and SeeD members for the new training regime."

"Really?" Cid said, amazed. "You didn't really have to stay up late for that."

"I know, but I felt as though I just had to finish it as soon as possible."

"Okay, but don't forget about your health. I don't know what I'd do if something ever happened to you again."

"Thanks, dear. I'll be careful."

Cid gave her an understanding nod, and then the two them walked into the office together. Cid, then, walked over and sat down at his desk, which had been moved over next to the wall to the left of the elevator that led up to the bridge. He began sifting through the paperwork that Edea had laid out, neatly, on top of the desk. He was about to begin reading a list of names, when he saw a blinking red light out of the corner of his left eye. He looked over and noticed that his answering machine contained a single message. "A message?" Cid wondered aloud.

He reached over and pressed the playback button, thinking that it would be another citizen requesting help for another monster extermination mission. The answering machine beeped, and then began playing back the message it held within:

"_Hello? Hello! This is President Jarrod Caraway! If anyone is there, please pick up! We're being attacked by some kind of strange monster; the likes of which I have never seen before. We are inside the mansion of President Laguna Loire. It's located in the center of the plains just south of the Trabian Vienne mountains. There are two of us taking shelter within the green house. I don't know if there are any other survivors. Please send assistance, immediately!"_

Cid listened, intently; his decision already clear. "We have to get there as soon as possible." He said.

"But, dear, there are students on an outdoor training session at the moment. We can't just leave and abandon them." Edea informed.

"Dammit!" Cid cursed, slapping his thigh.

"I'll send a message to their supervisor's PDA. He'll cancel their training session." With that, Edea pulled out her own PDA and began texting a message.

"If the Galbadian president's bodyguards couldn't handle this monster..." Cid pondered to himself.

Edea broke him out of his thoughts. "He said that they're south of the Trabia Vienne mountains, right?" She asked. "How are we going to get there? The Garden can't travel through the Esthar continent or go over mountains."

"We'll think of something." Cid said, determined. "We'll head to Trabia and send a team through the mountain pass to get there, if we have to."

Edea finished texting a message and sent it onward, returning her PDA to her gray leather jacket pocket. Then, a sudden thought occurred to her. "Should we initiate the new training regime for this?" She asked her husband.

Cid thought for a moment; he had completely forgotten about the new regime. "We could." He said, finally.

"But if this monster is too much for presidential bodyguards, wouldn't it be too risky to send in trainees?" Edea inquired.

"That's what the SeeD specialists would be there for... to ensure their safety. This could be a good way for a few trainees to learn the importance of their missions."

"Well... I guess so."

Cid smiled and said, "Don't worry. I plan on sending in some of our best SeeD specialists."

* * *

He remained focused on his surroundings, clutching his Revolver gunblade in his hands. The forest was quiet... a little too quiet. He listened carefully, searching for his comrades. He had entered the forest with two others, however an encounter with a grendel had scattered the team apart. He stopped for a moment, reaching up with his right hand to scratch at his feathery, blonde hair. "Huh... where could they be?" He wondered aloud.

Just then, he heard some rustling coming from between the trees off to his left. He, quickly, raised his gunblade, preparing for the worst. Then, all of a sudden, a young female with long brown hair down to her shoulders dashed out of the trees. "Mark?" She asked.

"Lina?" Mark said, amazed. "I was looking everywhere for you and Deane!"

"Sorry, can't explain anything right now." Lina said.

Mark was about to ask why, when he heard the growl of the monster that he guessed must've been chasing Lina. "Uh-oh. I thought I lost it!" Lina said, and then began to dash right past Mark.

Mark, not wanting to be a meal for any monster, dashed off right behind Lina. The two of them weaved in and out of the trees, trying to lose the monster. They ducked under branches and leapt over fallen logs, trying to put some distance between themselves and the growling coming from behind them. At one point, Mark risked a quick glance back over his left shoulder, trying to see whether or not they had lost their tail. At that moment, he felt his right foot get caught on something and ended up flying face forward down into the dirt. Mark grunted in pain upon landing, trying to figure out what had just happened.

Up ahead of him, Lina heard the stumble, causing her to stop and whip around to check on Mark. She saw him laying on the ground, cringing from pain, and moved to help him to his feet. All of a sudden, a massive ochu jumped out from between a pair of trees, causing Lina to stop in her tracks. "Oh, no..." She moaned. "That's the monster."

Mark glanced over his shoulder, only to see a long tentacle wrap around his legs. The ochu pulled him along the ground and, eventually, held him up in midair. Mark tried to swing his gunblade at the ochu, but the ochu whipped him around, causing him to lose his grip on his weapon. He continued to flail about, trying to free himself from the ochu's grip.

Lina stayed nearby, dodging tentacles left and right. She pulled her firearm out of its holster; a small Beretta 92FS. She hesitated for a moment, afraid that she might hit Mark once she fired. She took several deep breaths, and then dodged another incoming tentacle. She aimed her pistol, targeting the tentacle that grasped Mark's legs. She found a clean shot at the tentacle and fired her weapon... and missed. The bullet struck a tree behind the ochu. "Dammit!" She cursed. "How could I miss?"

In her surprise, she didn't see the next tentacle heading her way and it slammed into her, sending her sailing through the forest before she collided with a tree. She collapsed to the ground, cringing from back pain. She forced herself to look up, checking on Mark, finding that her vision was a little blurry. Just then, she spotted a dark figure fly out from out of no where. She saw a blue blur slice through one tentacle, causing Mark to drop to the ground. Then, she saw the dark figure dodge every tentacle with ease, the blue blur slicing through each tentacle, one after another. Then, the dark figure thrust the blue blur into the ochu and sliced it upward. Once the blue blur was withdrawn from the ochu, the monster collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Mark staggered to his feet and dusted himself off. Then, he turned to his savior and said, "Thank you, sir!"

Squall Leonhart stood there, sheathing his Lionheart gunblade; dressed in a short sleeved, blue jacket over a white T-shirt, a pair of black pants, and a pair of black boots. He wore his usual Griever chain necklace around his neck. "You all right?" He asked Mark.

"Yes, sir! Never better, sir!" Mark saluted.

Squall gave him a look, wondering how he got stuck with the job of supervising trainees. He nodded once, and then turned around and headed in Lina's direction. He got to her side, kneeled down, and began checking her for any serious injuries. It wasn't long before he determined that the young girl wasn't in dire need of medical help. "You'll be all right." He told Lina, helping her to her feet.

"Lina!" Mark shouted, running over to her. "Did you see how he took down that monster?"

"Yeah... well, I saw what I could, anyway." Lina replied, trying to soothe her back pain.

Squall stood and listened for a moment, until his PDA began to beep. He pulled the contraption out of his jacket pocket and saw that he had received a message from Edea, which read:

_Squall, we've just received an urgent message from the president of Galbadia. Please return to Garden with the trainees as soon as possible._

"Training session's over." Squall informed the two trainees. "We must return to Garden."

"But we haven't even been out here that long." Mark complained.

"Don't argue with higher authority, Mark." Lina said, turning in the direction of Garden.

However, she stopped suddenly, noticing that they were still missing Deane. "Wait a minute... what happened to Deane?" She asked.

As if on cue, a voice from within the trees said, "You call me?"

At that moment, another young boy leapt down from a tree branch and stood before the small group. The boy had dark brown hair and was wearing the tradional dark blue and white SeeD candidate uniform and a pair of metal knuckles over his fists. "Deane! Where have you been?" Lina shouted at him.

"Give me a break." Deane said. "I got into a disagreement with a wendigo."

"Forget it." Squall said. "We need to return to Garden now."

"Uh... alright. Not sure what's going on, but let's go." Deane said, and then began heading off toward Garden.

Mark and Lina walked side by side, following Deane, and Squall brought up the rear. They exited the forest and Squall stopped suddenly, looking off in the direction of Timber. Mark glanced behind him and noticed that the SeeD had stopped. "Is something wrong, sir?" He asked.

"No." Squall said. "You continue on toward Garden. I have something I need to do."

"Ok." Mark shrugged, and then hurried to catch up with the others.

Squall watched the three of them go, and then headed off in the direction of Timber.

* * *

The once small town of Timber had begun to flourish within the past year. There were more tourists visiting the town and more people settling down. Several more shops lined the streets, as well as several more warehouses and storehouses. The streets were alive with the hustle and bustle of the citizens of Timber; everyone was alot more relaxed, without any fear of being harrassed by Galbadian soldiers.

As a group of tourists were leaving the town, Squall began making his way into town. He made his way down the main street, glancing around as though he were looking for something. He went all throughout the town, until finally coming to the bridge beside the train station that took passengers in the direction Dollet. It was on that bridge that he found who he was looking for. Rinoa Heartilly stood on the bridge; her hair cut short, just below her ears, and wearing a light blue tank top and a pair of black shorts. Watts, Zone, and several others stood alongside her, chatting about their lives.

As Squall made his way over to the group, Watts seemed to point him out to the others, causing the others to look in his direction. When Rinoa noticed him, she waved and offered him a smile, but stopped short when she noticed the serious look on his face. "Squall," She said. "What's going on?"  
"I received an urgent message from Edea." Squall informed. "We need to return to Garden."

Rinoa looked disappointed. "Already?" She asked. "But we just got here."

She thought for a moment. The evening before she had requested to go to Timber to visit a few of her friends that she hadn't seen for a couple years. She had just begun to reminisce with some friends and now she was being told that it was time to go. However, a sudden thought occurred to her. Urgent missions were for SeeD specialists and she wasn't a SeeD. So, she turned to Squall and said, "Ok, why don't you go and see what's going on? I want to stay here and catch up with my friends some more."

Squall placed a hand on his hip and thought for a moment. After a short moment, he asked, "Will you be alright here?"

Rinoa smiled and said, "Squall, this is Timber. It's like my second home. I'll be fine." With that, she leaned up and gave him a quick kiss. "You just be careful on your mission."

Squall nodded, and then turned to leave the town; Rinoa watched his back as he disappeared off into the distance.


	7. Chapter 7

The halls of Balamb Garden quieted down as the students made their way to their homerooms. Only a few SeeDs roamed the hallways, following their usual guard routes. As one dark haired SeeD made his way past the Garden's directory, he offered a slight wave in the direction of a young brunette woman. Selphie Tilmitt stood in front of the directory, waving back at the SeeD. She wore her hair a little shorter and now wore a yellow halter top, a light brown skirt, and a new pair of brown boots. She stood across from Zell Dincht, who seemed to think that he looked fairly dashing after growing a goatee. He stood wearing a black muscle shirt, a pair of jeans cargo shorts, and a new pair of athletic shoes. Both Selphie and Zell were summoned to the front of the Garden for a new assignment.

The elevator dinged, causing both SeeDs to look up the stairs as the Garden Master stepped forth. Cid made his way down the stairs, and then looked back and forth at the two SeeDs. _Everyone's not all here, yet. _He thought, and then said, "We'll wait a few more minutes."

Selphie looked around, wondering who else Cid had summoned. Time seemed to go in slow motion, as she became increasingly bored. She watched as Zell began punching the air, and then asked, "What're we waiting for?"

"There are four more additions to your team." Cid explained.

_Four more? _Selphie thought. _Is the whole gang teaming up again?_

A few minutes later, Squall strolled through the front gate and joined the group. Cid looked back over his shoulder, and then took the opportunity to step forward. "Let's begin." He said. "A request for SeeD was made 13 hours ago. President Caraway had reported that he was under attack by an unknown monster. His escort was slain and is now one of the only survivors. Your first objective is to secure the president. When you've secured the president, you must investigate this mysterious monster, find out what you can about it and report. Any questions?"

Squall placed a hand on his hip, while Selphie looked around and Zell punched his right fist into his left palm. Seeing that there were no questions, Cid continued, "You will each be accompanied by a trainee."

As if on cue, Mark, Lina, and Deane made their way toward the directory. "Yo, it's gonna be tough enough just to look after the president. Now we gotta take care of some kids, too?" Zell complained.

"Aw, come on, Zell. It'll be fun!" Selphie said.

"We are starting a new training regime. Each SeeD member will be paired with a trainee. The trainees will obtain some hands-on experience, while the SeeDs ensure their safety." Cid explained.

"Hey, I could've taken that monster anytime if we still had our GFs." They heard Mark saying, as he came within hearing range. "Why'd GFs get banned anyhow?"

"I guess there's been confirmed reports that they cause memory problems." Lina answered.

"Hurry up, guys." Deane said, starting into a run. "We're late."

"Oh, perfect timing." Cid said. "Over here, you three!"

Cid waited for the three trainees to join the group before continuing. "You three SeeD canidates will be the first few to try the new training regime. You each will be paired up with a SeeD member matching your own abilities. Deane... you will be paired with Zell Dincht. Lina... you're with Selphie Tilmitt."

"Woo-hoo! Girl's rule!" Selphie shouted, offering a wave at Lina.

"And Mark... you'll be with Squall Leonhart."

"Yes! Time to learn some awesome gunblade skills!" Mark shouted, as he threw his fist in the air.

Cid continued, "The Garden is, currently, heading for the Trabia continent. You will make your way to President Loire's mansion where the incident occured. The mansion is located just south of the Trabia Vienne Mountains. It will take a few hours to get there, so you will have free time until then. Please proceed with caution."

"I am so psyched!" Mark whispered, anxiously.

"Dismissed." Cid said, and then began walking back toward the elevator.

Selphie made her way over to Lina and began to socialize with her. "So, Lina? What's your weapon of choice?" She asked.

Lina pulled out her handgun and showed it off. "This beretta." She said.

"A gun, huh? So, you'll be able to give me some cover fire, while I go up and start pounding away at enemies." Selphie laughed.

Lina laughed, slightly, and then explained, "It's sort of a reminder... of the days when my dad was in the military. He was a Galbadian soldier."

"Oh. Do you see much of your dad?"

"During summer... and on the holidays. You know, when we're not in school. He got an honorable discharge from service."

Selphie nodded, a sad smile on her face. (It must be nice to have a parent to go home to.) She thought. "Hey, you know... we're probably going to be the voices of reason here." She said, trying to act chipper.

"What do you mean?" Lina asked.

"You know how boys always charge right into trouble. We might end up pulling these guys out of alot of messes."

Lina agreed and laughed at that.

* * *

"Where are we going, sir?" Deane asked, as he strolled through Garden alongside Zell.

"Just call me Zell." Zell answered. "We're going to the cafeteria."

"But I already ate."

"It'd be a good idea to eat all that you can, while you can." Zell explained. "You never know when you might get another chance to reenergize yourself."

"You know that from experience?"

Zell stopped to scratch his head. "Uh... yeah." He said with an embarrassed grin.

They continued onward, until they entered the cafeteria. Seeing that there was no line, Zell, happily, went up to the front counter. He leaned forward against the counter and said to the lunch lady, "I need a plate full of hotdogs."

The lunch lady keyed the order into her cash register, and then said, "There's only a few left, but you're welcome to have them."

A few minutes went, as Zell waited for his order. "You, actually, got some?" Deane asked.

"Yeah, I have... contacts now." Zell said with a grin.

The lunch lady set a plate of six hotdogs down on the counter, nodding to Zell to confirm his order. Zell snatched the plate off of the counter, and then ran over to the nearest table. He sat down and, immediately, began munching on his food. Deane sat down across from him, watching him as he stuffed the food in his mouth. Zell stopped for a minute, seeing Deane's discomfort. He picked up one of the hotdogs and held it out to him. "Want one?" He asked.

"Thank you, sir... I mean Zell." Deane said, taking the hotdog.

In unison, the two of them gobbled up the hotdogs.

* * *

Mark watched as Zell and Deane headed down the hall past the infirmary, and then quickly glanced over to see Squall walking in the opposite direction, toward the library. He dashed off toward the library, as well, trying to catch up to the SeeD. "Hey, sir!" He called.

Squall didn't slow. "Hey!" Mark called again, until finally, he caught up. "So, what are we going to do until the mission starts?"

Squall didn't answer.

"Sir?"

Silence.

Mark looked ahead and saw the training center up ahead. "Are we gonna run through the training center a couple times to warm up?" He asked.

"...The mission hasn't started, yet." Squall said, finally. "There's no reason to follow me."

"I know, but..."

They walked around a corner and Mark started falling behind when he saw that Squall was heading for the dormitory. He came to a stop, and then called, "What are we doing here?"

Squall stopped in his tracks and answered, "It may be a tough trip to the mansion. You should get some rest."

With that, Squall made his way into his room and closed the door behind him.

Mark stared toward the dormitories for a short moment. (But I'm not even tired.) He thought. He looked around, trying to decide on what he should do. "All right." He said. "I'm gonna run a few laps in the training center."

With that, he turned back around and headed for the training center.

* * *

After a few hours, the Garden, finally, came to a rest on the eastern side of the Trabia continent. In just a few minutes, Deane came dashing out of the Garden. He surveyed the area, anxiously waiting for what was in store for them. "Time for a little adventure." With that, he moved forward.

The rest of the party departed shortly after Deane, who had run up to a narrow pathway in the mountain and examined it. Satisfied, he turned around and motioned for the others. "Hey, guys!" He shouted. "Over here!"

Mark ran over to join the other boy. He stared down the path between the mountains, and then looked back at the SeeDs. "Is this the way?" He asked.

"Sure is." Selphie answered. "You know that movie 'Forbidden Love'?"

"Yeah." Mark said, skeptically.

"That's a good movie. Laguna was is in it. Anyway, part of that movie was filmed here."

"Oh, cool. So, we get to see an old movie set?"

"There's nothing here now. So, we just enjoy the scenery."

"And watch out for monsters." Zell pointed out.

Squall put a stop to the small talk, as he walked past the group and started down the path. The others fell into step behind him; with Mark, cautiously, scanning the area. "Dude, you gotta relax." Deane said to him.

"You never know when something's gonna jump out at you." Mark said, never dropping his guard.

"Whatever happens... happens. Just chill."

Mark sighed and continued on, casually.

The team reached about the midway point of the mountain pass without incident, where Squall came to a sudden stop. He looked over his right shoulder and seemed to be listening for something. "What's up, Squall?" Selphie asked.

"Watch out!" Squall warned.

Everyone dashed off of the path, except for Mark. "What?" He said, surprised.

Just then, Mark felt something slam into his back, causing him to fly 15 feet forward. He landed on his chest and skidded to a stop. He laid on the ground for a moment, cringing from pain. Then, he forced himself to roll over to get a look at what had happened. He froze when he saw a horse-like monster standing before him, preparing to bring its horn downward in a vicious attack. Mark reached down, grabbed his gunblade, and tried to pull it free, only to find that it was caught in its holster. He began struggling, trying to free his weapon.

At that point, Squall ran forward and stood between Mark and the monster. His gunblade connected with the monster's horn. With some effort, he managed to push the monster back. He, then, dropped into a battle ready stance. "Can you get up?" He asked Mark.

Mark struggled to get back on his feet, staggering and nearly collapsing. "Yeah," He croaked. "Let's do this."

Squall nodded, and then said, "This is a mesmerize. It's not a difficult opponent."

At that moment, two more mesmerizes joined the fray. The rest of the party leapt out, taking on each of the monsters is a two on one strategy.

Squall ran head to head with one of the mesmerizes, connecting his blade with the monsters horn and thrusting it back. Then, Mark jumped forward and brought his own blade onto the monster's back, cutting it slightly. The monster turned its back toward him, preparing to hind kick him. Mark jumped out of the way, dodging the attack. Squall jumped in again, bringing his blade up to block an attack, and then slicing through the monster's neck. The monster fell to the ground in a bloody heap. Squall and Mark, then, glanced over to check the progress of the other party members.

Selphie and Lina were already finished with their opponent, while Zell and Deane seemed to be enjoying their battle. Zell jumped backwards, dodging a headbutt, and then followed up with a one-two punch into the monster's head. Then, Deane ran forth and delivered a roundhouse kick into the monster's head, knocking it to the side. The monster shook off its pain, and then charged in Deane's direction. Deane kept his eyes on the monster, ready to dodge at the last second. He saw movement through his peripheral vision, where Zell was running toward the monster's side. When he was a few feet away, Zell flew through the air and dropkicked the monster in the side, causing it to stumble. Deane took the opportunity to run forward and jump onto the monster's back. He wrapped his hands around its neck, trying to snap it. He pulled and twisted, but to no avail. The monster began to buck, trying to knock Deane off of its back. "Yee-haw!" Deane shouted, hanging on as tightly as he could.

All of a sudden, a gunshot was fired and the mesmerize fell to the ground, lifeless. Deane rolled off of the monster and stood up, looking around. "Hey, what's the big idea?" He asked.

"We're on an important mission here." Lina said, holstering her pistol. "We don't have time for this."

Squall nodded in approval, and then glanced over to evaluate Mark's injuries. "...Are you all right?" He asked.

"Yeah." Mark answered. "Just a little winded."

_This new training regime wasn't a very good idea. _Squall thought, and then said, "All right. Let's go."

The party hurried the rest of the way through the mountain pass, until finally coming out into a wide open plain. Their destination could be seen some distance away. They, swiftly, made their across the plain, staying cautious for anymore monster attacks. "Look out!" Zell shouted, as he swatted down a bite bug. "Pesky sons of bitches."

"Behind you!" Lina shouted, as she pulled out her pistol and fired past Zell.

Another bite bug fell to the ground. "We should've packed bug spray." Mark laughed.

Time seemed to fly by as the party swatted away bite bugs en route to the mansion. The day turned into late afternoon by the time they reached the mansion. They stood just outside of the front door, evaluating the scene. The mansion seemed eerily dark and quiet... a little too quiet.


	8. Chapter 8

They stood just outside of the front gate, surveying the area for any signs of life. The air was cool and quiet. A slight breeze blew through the grass. The breeze blew along a stone walkway and up to a massive, two-story stone mansion. A few of the mansion's blue window shutters began banging against the stone wall. The windows were darkened and there was nothing stirring within. "You know..." Selphie said, suddenly. "This place would probably be cooler if it wasn't so quiet."

Zell began glancing around at the surrounding area, until his eyes came upon a large airship. "Yo, is that the Ragnarok?" He asked.

Selphie's gaze, quickly, moved away from the mansion and over to where Zell was indicating. She examined the ship, and then said, "No, it's too big."

She started walking toward the ship. "I'll go check it out." She said, and then took off at a run.

Meanwhile, Squall was heading up the walkway towards the mansion's large, wooden door. He stopped about a foot away from it when he noticed a horizontal line of holes through the middle of the door. He examined the holes for a moment, and then reached for one of the doorknobs. At that moment, Mark appeared at Squall's side and asked, "Did you find something?"

As Squall's hand rested on the doorknob, Mark, quickly, scanned the door and found the holes, instantly. "Hey, why would anyone poke holes in a door?' He asked.

"These holes are tinged with blood." Squall informed.

"Blood?" Mark exclaimed.

Squall began turning the doorknob. Just when he was about to pull the door open, Mark shouted, "Wait, don't open it!"

The sound of footsteps could be heard running up the walkway behind them, as Zell, Deane, and Lina made their way toward the front door. "Yo, what's up?" Zell asked.

"There's blood on the door!" Mark informed. "What if there's a body or something on the other side?"

"Mark..." Lina sighed. "We can't just stand out here wasting time. The more time we waste, the less likely we'll find anyone alive, if there even is anyone still alive."

Squall ignored them all and pulled the door open. He stepped inside, setting his foot down on a stiff, blue carpet. He glanced down and saw that some blood had seeped into the carpeting. He made note of it, and then moved a little further inside to get a better look at what laid beyond. There was a blue carpet that led straight inside and up along a set of stairs, which branched out to the left and right. Another blood stain could be seen near the bottom of the stairs. In the center of the stairs where the two branches met, there was fairly large double door. There were four doors on the ground floor; two on the left and two on the right. However, the doors that were nearest the main entrance seemed as though they had been smashed open. Parts of each door still hung off of the hinges, while the rest laid scattered about in shards and splinters. In front of the shattered door to the left of the entrance, there were dried blood splatters all over the floor and on the nearby wall. However...

"There's no bodies." Mark noticed.

"That's pretty sick, though." Deane said, looking disgusted.

Zell walked over toward the left side of the room and knelt down by the blood splatters for a closer look. He glanced back and forth from one splatter to the next, until his gaze came upon something shocking. "Yo, check this out!" He called to the others.

The three young SeeD candidates rushed over to Zell's side. "What's up?" Mark asked.

Zell pointed downwards and said, "Footprints. Heading in there."

Deane's gaze followed the footprints into the dining room, and then asked, "So... is someone still alive?"

"Who knows?" Zell answered. "We don't know how long ago these footprints were made or, even, what we're up against here."

"But there's still hope... right?" Lina asked.

After a moment of silence, Mark shouted, "Of course! There's always hope!"

Zell stood up and looked around the foyer before turning in Squall's direction. "What's the plan?" He asked.

Squall crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "We'll divide into separate parties, then spread out and begin to search the premises." He said, finally. "When Selphie gets back, we'll decide on the parties."

They waited in silence for a few minutes, each one busying his or herself with a simple task. Before long, Selphie ran through the main door. "That ship's clear. The pilots..." Selphie started, until she saw the bloody mess in the foyer. "Ok, what'd I miss?"

"Nothing." Zell answered. "This party was over before we got here."

"Aw, bummer..." Selphie complained.

There was a moment of silence before Squall turned to Selphie and asked, "Find anything?"

"What? Oh." Selphie answered. "The pilots were sleeping on board the ship. They don't know what's going on here. I told them about why we're here and that they should return home and put reinforcements on standby."

Squall nodded, and then began to say something. However, Mark interrupted. "All right! Time to split up and search this joint!" He said.

"Yo, I'm gonna follow these footprints; see where they go." Zell said, waving in the direction of the dining room. "Let's go, Deane."

As Zell led Deane into the dining room, Selphie glanced around the foyer before her eyes fell upon the opening to the right of the main entrance. "I'll check out this hallway." She said.

Mark watched as Selphie headed through the smashed doorway with Lina trailing along behind her. He glanced around the foyer, wondering where he should begin his search. "So... we start with one of those back doors?" He asked, indicating the remaining two doors in the foyer.

Mark jogged to the back of the foyer and headed for the door on his left. He grabbed the doorknob and turned it; pushing and pulling the door as he did so, but the door wouldn't budge. "This one's locked." He said, and then crossed over to the other side of the foyer.

He tried to open the remaining door and found the it was unlocked. He pulled the door open, when all of a sudden, a dark object fell right toward him. Mark stumbled back, falling onto his rear and crying out in fright. There was a loud slam as the object landed on the floor. Mark glanced down to see what it was and found nothing but a broom. He chuckled, nervously, as he looked up and found that he had discovered the broom closet. "Nothing here." He said, as he got to his feet. "So... that leaves... upstairs?"

Squall placed his left hand on his hip in irritation, and then proceeded to walk up the stairs. Mark ran up behind him and stopped at the center of the divide. "Left or right?" Mark asked.

In silence, Squall walked past Mark and followed the left path. "Ok. We go left." Mark said, and then followed Squall.

* * *

As Zell entered the dining room, he saw that the room was as much of a mess as the foyer, if not worse. There was a long table in the middle of the room, which seemed to be about 20ft long. On the side of the room nearest to Zell, there were several chairs knocked over and scattered around the room. An old grandfather clock laid on its side, as though someone had knocked it over. There were a few pictures hanging along the walls; pictures of various scenes around Winhill; some were hanging by the corners. On the far side of the room, there were a couple end tables tucked away in the corners of the room and a food cart sat pressed against the wall. And a crystal chandelier hung silently over the table.

Zell glanced down at the footprints, checking the direction in which they were going. The footprints led around the table and to the far side of the room, where he found a gruesome site. There was a bloody mess in the far corner of the room. The remains looked as though they were once a person; half of the face had been torn off, the intestines had been ripped out; bits and pieces were scattered around the body. And chunks of flesh had been bitten off of the arms and legs, exposing the bones beneath. "Poor bastard..." Zell said, shaking his head.

"Find something?" Deane asked, as he came around the table. "Ugh... gross. What happened to this guy?"

"Something tore him apart."

"Looks like something was chewing on him." Deane's face went pale and he began to feel nauseated. "Ugh... man..." He groaned, turning his back to the sight.

"Don't look at him. Stay on the other side of the room." Zell told him.

Deane held his hands over his upset stomach as he made his way around the dining table. "Do those footprints belong to him?" He asked, weakily.

Zell looked down at the footprints and found that they seemed to stop at the corpse, and then turned off to his right and headed out another smashed doorway, when they began to fade. "No. Looks like someone just checked on the guy, then left." He said.

He started heading for the doorway and stopped just before heading out. He turned toward Deane and asked, "How're you feeling?"

"I'll be ok." Deane answered, feeling a little bettera.

"Are you ready to continue?"

Deane took several deep breaths, and then said, "Yeah. Let's go."

The two of them followed the remaining footprints into a long hallway. There was a set of double doors not far away on the left side of the hallway. A few pictures of Esthar lined the walls, filling the emptiness between a couple more doors that were in the hallway. Further down, the hall made a left turn, creating a corner. And in that corner sat a body of a Galbadian soldier. The soldier was in a sitting position; with his legs tucked underneath him and leaning against the wall. "We may be too late to rescue any survivors." Zell stated.

At that moment, the Galbadian soldier began to stir. Using the wall as a brace, he slid up onto his feet and stood up against the wall. "Zell..." Deane said. "It's a survivor!"

"Yo! We're here to help you!" Deane said, as he made his way over to the soldier.

He placed a hand on the soldier's shoulder and said, "Let's take a look at those wounds."

All of a sudden, the soldier's hands lashed up and grabbed Deane's wrist. The soldier leaned down toward Deane's arm and sunk his teeth into the bare flesh. Deane cried out and fell to the floor. The soldier dropped to the floor, as well, landing on top of Deane; his mouth kept snapping, trying to take another bite. Deane, defensively, began trying to push the soldier off of him, crying out for help.

Zell leapt into action. He ran forward, grabbed the soldier by the back of the shirt, and threw him across the hallway. The soldier slammed into the wall with a wet-sounding splat, and then slid down to the floor. Zell knelt down to help Deane sit up, so that he could get a good look at the damage done. Deane was missing a chunk of flesh on the left side of his right forearm. Zell, quickly, pulled the boy to his feet and guided him back toward the double doors. He kicked the doors open and went into the kitchen, where he picked up a nearby stool and sat Deane down. He glanced around the kitchen, searching for a way to stop the bleeding, and found a blue dish towel laying on the edge of the counter to the right of the doors. He snatched the towel off of the counter, and then proceeded to wrap it around Deane's forearm. "Hold that on there." Zell commanded. "We gotta stop the bleeding."

Zell turned around and began to rummage through the kitchen, looking for some type of first aid equipment. He yanked open every drawer and cupboard that he could see, until he glanced at the wall on the far side of the kitchen. There was a first aid kit handing on the wall for quick and easy access. "That's convienent." He said, as he walked over to grab the kit.

He snatched the first aid kit off of the wall, and then quickly made his way toward Deane. A slight glare appeared at the corner of Zell's right eye, so he turned to see where the reflection was coming from. There was a clean butcher knife laying in the middle of the nearby counter and the kitchen lights were reflecting off of it. "That'll do." Zell said, as he grabbed the knife.

Zell returned to Deane's side and place the first aid kit down on the counter closest to them. He, then, pulled a cigarette lighter out of his pocket and began heating up the blade of the butcher knife. "What're going to do?" Deane asked, nervously.

"I'm going to cauterize the wound so you don't bleed out." Zell informed.

"Oh. I thought you were going to cut my arm off." Deane said, relieved.

When the knife was red hot, Zell began removing the dish towel from Deane's arm, exposing the wound. "This is gonna sting." Zell informed, and then proceeded to set the blade down onto the wound.

As soon as the blade touched his skin, Deane cried out in pain. Tears fell from his eyes as he tried to keep himself from grabbing the knife and throwing it across the room. "Almost done." Zell informed.

A short time later, Zell removed the blade and set it back down onto the counter. He, then, proceeded to open up the first aid kit. He pulled out a potion bottle and a sterile gauze, put a dab of potion onto the gauze, and then began cleaning the wound. After finishing that task, he pulled a sterile dressing out of the first aid kit and began wrapping the wound. "It still stings." Deane said.

"It will, until you get to a doctor." Zell said.

Deane nodded, as he looked away from the work being done. He glanced at the doors behind Zell and froze, sitting wide-eyed. "Zell..." He said, nervously.

Zell looked up at Deane and, instantly, knew what was wrong. He dropped into a battle stance and listened for the footsteps that came from behind him, interpreting the distance away from him. He turned sideways, bring his right leg upwards for a roundhouse kick as he did so. He followed through with kick, feeling his foot connect with an iron helmet. There was a sickening _crunch_ as the Galbadian soldier was knocked to the side. Zell resumed his battle stance, expecting the soldier to get back up. Then, he noticed that the soldier's head was bent at an impossible angle. Confident that the soldier's neck was broken, he turned around and said, "That was too easy."

He returned to the process of dressing Deane's wound. "Galbadians are pushovers, aren't they?" Deane asked.

Zell grinned and said, "Some of them. Yeah. But that guy's neck broke too easily. I didn't exert that much force into that kick."

"What's that mean?"

"Don't know. We'll take a good look at him. See if we can see what's up."

Zell finished the dressing, and then asked, "How's that feel?"  
"Still stings a little, but I guess I'll live." Deane answered.

Zell nodded, and then turned around to examine the Galbadian soldier. The soldier had three large gashes across his torso; it was as though something or someone had slashed him. Zell removed the soldier's helmet and was, immediately, stunned. Half of the skin on the soldier's face seemed to have withered off, exposing half of the teeth inside of his mouth. "What the hell?" Zell wondered aloud.

"What's wrong with him?" Deane asked, confused.

"It looks like he's... decomposed. Almost completely."

"But how? This all happened just last night, didn't it?"

"What the hell's going on here?"

At that moment, there was a scuffling sound coming from across the room. Zell and Deane both looked in the direction of the sound. Zell got up onto his feet and walked, cautiously, toward the sound. The scuffling stopped for moment, then started again. Zell listened, carefully, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. "In there." Zell said, indicating a small room across from them.

"What is that? A closet?" Deane asked.

"Closet. Pantry. Whatever you want to call it." Zell said.

Deane began backing up toward the double doors. "I don't think I wanna know what's making that noise." He said.

"It could be a survivor."

"A survivor that slides around?"

"Maybe they're wounded." Zell said. "Hey, who's in there?"

Silence. Zell reached down and grabbed the handle of the door, preparing to slide the door open. He slid the door open just enough to look through when all of a sudden, something began banging on the door. Several pairs of pale fingers slipped through the crack, trying to snatch something. Zell, quickly, slid the door shut, banging it on the fingers until it was completely closed. Several fingers dropped to the floor with a _tap tap tap_. However, there was no one screaming in pain. Zell stepped back from the door and shook his head. "Did everyone here turn into monsters?" He wondered aloud.

"I hope the others are ok." Deane said.

"Let's head back to foyer and try get everyone to regroup."

The two of them ran out of the kitchen and headed back to the front of the mansion.


End file.
